


Their Pet Project

by FlightInSnow



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Fisting, Anal Sex, Animal Shifter, BDSM, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Bondage, Breathplay, Conditioning, Double Anal Penetration, Extremely Dubious Consent, Fisting, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Master/Pet, Master/Slave, Oral Sex, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Power Imbalance, Psychological Horror, Sex Toys, Slavery, Violence, incubus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:08:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 65,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightInSnow/pseuds/FlightInSnow
Summary: When the incubi won the war against the humans, they took away the one thing the humans had left, their families. Or at least, those gifted with the incredibly rare gift to shift. With their only protectors gone and the incubi’s superior technology, the humans had no choice but to surrender and live under their rule. Rhett didn’t have a family, didn’t have a reason to feel threatened. He was going to fight whether he was alone or not, tooth, claw and nail. Only his rebellious actions have gained media coverage and he has unwittingly set himself against two of the most powerful incubi in the country and they are more than interested in the capture and taming of one rouge shifter.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is not quite like my others in that it more than dabbles in the categories of non-consent, violence and slavery. If you find these topics unsettling, this may not be the story for you. Make note that the representation of master slave relationships shown in this story is neither meant to be taken as factual representation of true BDSM or healthy. Please keep this in mind. Thank you.

\--  
Chapter One  
A New World  
\--  
The word vampire was said a lot. But that wasn’t accurate. They could walk in the sun light, eat whatever they liked and were not affected by silver or salt water. They did need blood though and they did get that blood from humans. Demon would be a closer description, though these creatures were not from an underworld and were not repelled by any religious belief or prayer. 

Incubi was what the humans finally decided to call them. Though this description was again, incomplete but much closer. The creature did have a venomous bite that left their victims weakened, intoxicated and addicted. 

Then again, we say human, but that in and of itself, is not an accurate description either. This is because every in every human family, in every generation or two, a shifter is born. Most families have one shifter which has been the case from hundreds of thousands of years. Every human carries the recessive gene. What animal the human becomes is only known the moment the first transformation begins, normally around the age of ten. 

There have always been myths and rumours about the incubi. No one knew where they came from or what their true plans were but a little over five years ago, they appeared in full force. They arrived in the capital, their ships, their uniforms, their overwhelming numbers made it more than clear that the humans were desperately outnumbered and out gunned. They were faster and stronger than any human they fought and the human military was decimated in a matter of weeks. 

This was to be a takeover but strangely, the Incubi had not expressed interest in a grisly war. What they wanted was simple. They would let the humans get on with their lives. They even agreed to allow some humans to stay governing alongside them. The incubi would provide funding to the poverty stricken. They would provide technology to the hospitals and medical centres. They would even allow the humans to keep their homes and properties. 

This, unsurprisingly, came at a cost.

The shifters would all have to be surrendered to the incubi. One member of every family would be ‘sacrificed’ to the cause and if the family had a shifter, they would take priority. If they were well behaved, they may visit their old families but for the most part, they belonged to the incubi. There was some resistance in the beginning. The incubi reminded the humans that, really, it was this or a complete hostile takeover. 

One missile was launched from an airship at 9o’clock on a Wednesday morning. Hundreds of thousands died in seconds. Nothing else needed to be said, and the surrender of the human race was signed away. 

This all happened years ago. Nearly to the date, Rhett reflected grimly. Rhett had been living with his uncle and aunt when the news came out. Perhaps more frustrating still was the fact that monsters kept their word. The homeless were given housing, the schools received funding and the hospitals were upgraded.  
Many believed they were better off. 

Those shifters who left by their own free will were given the incubi servant uniform, a wage and an incubus to serve. Most had completely regular jobs, driving the vehicles, working in the kitchens or processing accounts. There was a chance though that these people could also become blood slaves. The incubus could eat ordinary food, but it was no secret they needed blood to. That side of servitude was never mentioned and best not thought about buy the loved ones back home. 

It was symbolic. The shifters were the protectors, they were the strongest of the human race and now they belonged completely to the incubi. 

Rhett watched from his secluded spot on top of the railing. The soldiers were rallying the students again. There were incubi soldiers everywhere these days, marching the streets and appearing at public events. Crime in the capital was down to practically zero. Everything from robberies to littering had been snuffed out. The soldiers were irritatingly friendly too. They were military but Rhett had also seen one break ranks to carry an elderly woman’s shopping to her doorstep for her. 

They were liked. At least, by those who had freely given up family.  
Less so, by those who hadn’t. The resistance wasn’t shown on the television very much. The Incubi didn’t want people to know there was a resistance out there anymore. Life had improved for those who had given in willingly but for those who didn’t... 

Those with shifter children had refused to hand them over to the new government. Entire families disappeared overnight. Gone. Houses gutted, no photos, no letters, just wiped away for daring to protect their families. Many still remembered what the incubi had done to their own soldiers. There was a fund for those families who had lost son and daughters to the war. Many didn’t take it well. 

Rhett had seen the worried expressions on his uncle and aunt’s faces. Rhett was a shifter and if he stayed, he would be putting them in danger. He had packed up his few things and cheerfully told them he was going back home to submit himself for a job. They had looked at each other. His uncle had hugged him hard enough to crack ribs. They knew he was lying. They knew he had no other home to go to. When his aunt waved him off the front porch, she had started to cry.

“Don’t be upset, aunty. I’ll send you a letter real soon, once I’ve got settled.” He said, his tone falsely bright. He made sure the neighbours saw him go, waving and laughing. Then, hurling his backpack a little higher on his shoulder, Rhett had turned and disappeared down the street. 

He missed them a lot but didn’t dare write to them or go to see them. It was safer for them to think him long gone. Rhett was nearly nineteen. He’d done alright in school, had a part time job coaching soccer to under 10s and made extra money by putting together bookshelves, barbeques, kitchen units and other oddities. He had gotten quite good at it. Didn’t matter if the instructions were in a different language, Rhett had a knack for working through problems. Good with his hands and fast, he’d built up a good reputation. 

That was before he’d been forced to go on the run. 

Now he was no one. 

Just a nameless face in the crowd. It had taken him a while to think of what to do. Anyone identified as a shifter was arrested on sight. An idea came to him when he wondered passed one of the new schools. It was ridiculously massive, made up of several three-story buildings with ramps, bridges and stairs. There were dorms on campus and a proper cafeteria. The students all wore a navy-blue uniform with white trim. There were so many students around Rhett’s age. To many for everyone to know everyone else…

He had snuck onto campus during the early morning and stole a couple of uniforms from the laundry room. The food in the cafeteria was free to students which was helpful. He had no idea what tuition cost for a school like this one, but he imagined it would have been far outside anything his family had ever been able to afford. He didn’t actually go to many classes in case teachers starting recognising him properly but by staying in the school uniform and staying on the campus, he was safe. 

Well, safer. 

He had wondered vaguely, what exactly he was going to do with his life. He didn’t have a plan, didn’t know where he was going to go. He couldn’t stay at the school indefinably. He would look to old soon. 

What then? Rhett didn’t know. He did have some money that he was particularly careful with. He still did those handy man jobs under the name of Matthew Hamish but work wasn’t as easy to find and he couldn’t advertise much or go out of his way to leave the campus too often. He wanted to help the rebellion but even that seemed nearly impossible. He couldn’t just walk into the streets and ask the nearest person if they knew where he could join up. 

The rebellion itself had done depressingly little in the last year. Perhaps it was just covered up better than anyone knew or maybe it was just that the movement was losing support or the will to fight. In the early years of the takeover there were riots, sabotage and attempts to break out the shifters from the human jails but these all stopped about two years in. 

Incubi soldiers always came marching by the main street. At the school entrances were a human guard and two incubi soldiers. Rhett kept his distance and spent much of his time in the massive library, reading news articles, tracking the resistance and staying out of the way. 

He hated watching the news on the wide screen television in the main sitting space. Always some pretty news woman saying how wonderful everything was, how ordinary everything was. As though being enslaved by an army of blood drinking incubus was normal. Rhett hadn’t meant to draw attention to himself. 

He really hadn’t.

It was a Monday lunch time when a scream had ripped through the regular babbled conversations of students. Rhett had been sitting on his own reading. His head jerked up and his stomach dropped. Seven uniformed incubi were escorting a teenage girl. She couldn’t have been an older than fifteen and she was crying.

“Let go of me! I’m not a shifter! I don’t want to go with you.” She was shouting. 

“Miss Lang, if you are not a shifter then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. A little blood test and we will have you back home before dinner.” Said a deceptively kind faced incubi to her right. He might have been reassuring if not for his red eyes. 

They all had red eyes. 

Rhett noticed how the younger, less highly ranked soldiers only had red irises. He had heard rumours that the more powerful incubi had eyes that were completely red from sclera to pupil.

Rhett slid off the bench he’d been sitting on. Students were backing away. Being a shifter used to be cause for celebration, for pride. Now people were avoiding the girl’s face as though she were something deeply unpleasant. It made his blood boil. No one wanted to look at her. People were muttering and whispering. Teachers were coming down the steps to chivvy people along. Rhett slunk back into the throng of people but slipped off down a side corridor. 

Even in human form, he could see the wide terrified eyes and sweat on her face. She struggled as she was led towards the main entrance where a small air carrier was waiting. Even before he sniffed the air and scented a cat, he knew she was a shifter. For lying and not coming forward, she had doomed herself and any family still living. 

Unless…

Unless he could do something. 

Rhett checked the narrow corridor he had slipped into. It was disserted though the loud babble of talk and clicking footsteps told of many people still nearby. Without really thinking about it, he made a split-second decision. 

He leant forward, fur sprouting down his forearms and along his back. With a crack his jaw extended and his skull began to thin. His colour palette narrowed. Teeth sharpened, fingernails hardened and his vertebra grew, extending into a tail.

“Miss Lang, don’t you think you’re making a bit of a scene? Please, calm yourself down and step into the carrier.” Black curls flying, the girl shook her head.

“Don’t hurt my family, please.” She sobbed. Two soldiers, one on either side had hold of her arms, pulling her easily down the wide footpath. 

There was a moment of surreal confusion at the sound of large thundering paws. The incubi in the lead turned to look and his red eyes widened.

An enormous white and grey wolf was galloping towards them. In three strides it had cleared the distance over the lawn and lunged for the first guard. It sunk long canines into the flesh of the incubus’s lower calf. The man shouted in pain as the beast shook its head violently, tearing tendons and muscles alike. It flung the soldier aside like a ragdoll and attacked the second before he had finished drawing his side arm. The wolf bit into the incubus’s forearms causing him to drop his gun, the full weight of the animal knocking him to the ground.

There was shouts and screams from all around. The lead guard drew his weapon and fired. An acid green projectile shot from the barrel but missed its target as the wolf leapt away. The pavement it hit melted into a crater instantly, a foul smell emitting from the blackened melting footpath. 

More soldiers were pouring out from inside the air carrier but in the pandemonium the girl had taken several strides back and started to shift. 

“Bring the net! Grab the girl!” The wolf darted this way and that, avoiding the shots and edging back. It looked once in the girl’s direction, its white muzzle grizzly with blood. The incubi looked to but the girl was gone.  
A little black house cat was pelting away, its tail fluffed out behind it. When he looked back, the wolf too was racing back towards the school buildings, disappearing behind the first building. He cursed loudly.

“Split up and find them! Get those students inside! No phones!” He bellowed. Several students who were trying to take photos were grabbed by nearby soldiers.  
Rhett knew his first and best way to hide was to become human again. This was his other little secret. Shifting took great concentration and calm. It was one of the reasons children couldn’t do it. Shifting quickly and whilst his heart was still pounding would normally take the experience of thirty years. 

Not for Rhett though. He, like his grandfather, had a knack for fast transformations. He darted along three more corridors and down two flights of stairs before shifting back. He quickly rinsed his mouth at a drinking fountain, splashing some on his face and smoothing his ruffled hair. 

He turned down another set of stairs and jogged toward the gymnasium. He had to stop twice, only just stopping himself from colliding with several incubi. They were still searching for the wolf but it wouldn’t be long before they rounded up the students and started blood testing. For the moment, he would go back to hiding in plain sight. Seeing a terrified group of students heading for the library, escorted by a guard, Rhett darted in to join them. 

He welcomed the airconditioned building and the scent of heavy textbooks as they went inside. He was trying to slow his breathing down. Adrenaline and a twisted sort of excitement was bubbling hard through his veins. He’d never done anything like that before. There was a sharp thrill to the whole thing. He had attacked those guards, helped the girl get away and right under the incubi’s noses. They were not as in control as they led everyone to believe. He ducked his head to hide his grin. He was going to have fun with this. 

\--

“The beast is gone; we’ve swept the whole area.” Louie stood tensely by the air carrier listening to the incoming reports.

“It’s been less than twenty minutes. If the beast is able to shift back that quickly, it must be an adult.” He muttered.

“One of the staff, sir?” someone on his right called. Louie chewed on the tip of his finger.

“Perhaps. I’ve heard of some teenagers being able to shift quickly but the skill is incredibly rare. There is still a chance it’s one of the students. Call an assembly. I want everyone there. Teachers, administrator, students, even the damn cleaners. Anyone who stays in this premises. What about the girl?” he barked. His soldiers glanced nervously at him and he had a sinking feeling he knew the answer.

“She’s gone sir, disappeared into the suburbs. We’ve sent people to collect the family.” Louie pinched his eyes shut.

“What a mess.” He hissed. 

“This region has not had an incident since the treaty was signed. Once the generals find out, they will not be happy. Keep looking for the cat. Detain any specimen you find. They can be blood tested back at headquarters. We need to do some damage control on this.” 

“Yes sir.” 

\--

Rhett was sitting in the cafeteria, reading the news on a tablet he had borrowed from the library. 

Six hours. 

Six hours of incubi soldiers searching the buildings as the students assembled. Rhett didn’t go of course. He had spent the whole day playing one of the most intense games of cat and mouse in his entire life. Whenever a group of the blood suckers moved on to a new building, Rhett would creep into the one they had just left. With his heightened hearing and sense of smell, he could stay one step ahead. By no stretch of the imagination, he was tired but he didn’t dare try to nap in case anyone came back. 

Twice he seen another student. He didn’t speak to them or let himself be seen. There was a good chance they were shifters too but he couldn’t risk them revealing him if they were caught. Half way through the afternoon he paused and peaked out the window to see one of the said students being taken to the carrier in hand cuffs. Guilt welled in his gut. If he had spoken to that kid, would he have made better choices or would he still have been captured?

Once the sun started to go down, they finished the assembly much to the relief of the terrified people trapped inside the hall. With over nine hundred students and staff collectively, it was going to take a long time for them all to be processed. The guards at the entrances had been doubled and flyers were stuck all over the buildings. Apparently, the lead incubi had even given the assembly a little speech. The words “dangerous extremist” and “threat to peaceful coexistence” were apparently thrown around along with a warning to report any unusual behaviour. The campus was also under lockdown until further notice until the blood results came back. 

Most likely the results would be in tomorrow or the day after and the remaining students would be free again. Give it two weeks and this entire ordeal would have blown over. 

Or at least, that’s what he thought until his gaze fell on a news article on the front page of the tablet’s internet window. 

His mouth fell open.

It was him. 

Well. 

It was his wolf, attacking the incubi soldiers. The footage was a little shaky,  
clearly taken on someone’s mobile phone. But the footage was clear enough to see exactly what happened and two see both shifters vanish, one into the street and the other back into the school. 

Well, so much for keeping a low profile.

\--

Louie licked his dry lips. His fangs ached. He hadn’t fed today. Between the mess at the school, the following search and finally reporting back to the headquarters, he had not had a minute to himself. They had not found the cat or the wolf. They had managed to capture a young boy who was apparently a shifter, only newly matured. It would not be enough though. Louie knew that already. The regions perfect record was broken and under his watch. 

He was sweating. Even from the other side of the door, the auras from the two generals was enough to make him instinctively show his neck. Slowly the massive double doors open.

“Enter.” Came a voice. Swallowing, he straightened his uniform and stepped into the massive office. Most regions had a general overseeing it. This particular region was far larger than most and therefore, required more supervision. General Martel and general Janos were old friends and at one point, even bed partners. Their records were impeccable. Neither had ever lost a battle and both were recognised as the powerful old blood they were. Louie put both his hand behind his back, mainly to stop them shaking. 

Martel was sitting at one of the massive oak desks, short black curls cropped messily around his ears. Janos was nearby, his hip propped up on the desk and long legs crossed. He had long coffee coloured hair tied in a lazy pony tail at the nape of his neck. Both were looking at him with predatory interest. 

“So.” Janos purred, all sharp teeth showing.

“Please tell us how a simple extraction turned into a nation-wide fiasco.” He said, throwing a file of paper to him. Louie caught it, fumbling. He opened it and winced at the large blown up photo of the wolf biting his soldier on the leg.

“How are they, by the way?” Martel asked casually. Louie looked up from the file.

“They… private Harris is recovering well. After three feedings and a blood infusion, his wound is almost completely healed. Private Kelly didn’t make it. The bite area was extensive. It ruptured an artery and he bled out before he could receive proper treatment.” Martel and Janos exchanged a look. 

“Do you know the last time we lost a solider to this rebellion?” Janos asked. Louie shook his head nervously.

“No sir.”

“Before the missile dropped, we had to deal with a few riots. There was a human there who changed into a leopard and attacked one of our men. He to, died from his injuries. The leopard was shot dead of course. As was the leopard’s family. We can’t have this sort of thing spreading. It’s like an infection. Humans are quite controllable so long as their beliefs are carefully guided. Panic is a like a disease to them.” Janos spoke fondly as though he were talking about an infant or a herd of young sheep. 

“So, you can see how damaging a news article like this is. Even after the original article was taken down, the video has now spread all over the internet. Shifters that can become large animals are rare and this particular video…” Martel nodded to the file in Louie’s hands.

“Is troubling. Find the beast. Bring it to us or we will be forced to step in and do it ourselves. That’s not what you want Louie. This resistance can’t be allowed to grow any more than it already has.” General Janos stepped up closer to him. Louie’s whole body began to shake. Submissively, he dropped his eyes.

“I understand sirs.” He rasped. The file was plucked from his hands.

“I hope for your sake, you do.”

\--

END

\--


	2. The Ghost

\--

Chapter Two  
The Ghost

\--

What a time to be alive, Rhett thought grimly as he watched the news reader. It was another day, another bland story about local news. The tulip gardens were open again to the public for another year. Lovely.   
Nothing about the rebellion. 

There never was. 

Not on the television broadcasts anyway.

Rhett had read a lot at his time in the school. He couldn’t attend to many actual classes so the library was practically his home. He had taken an interest in the nonfiction accounts of guerrilla warfare. What interested him about guerrilla warfare was that many rebel fighters did the most damage not by charging in and killing as many of the enemy as they could but by causing many little problems. He read of two rebels who dressed in the enemy’s uniform, strode up and offered to escort the next shipment. Which they then stole. Rhett didn’t have to fight with just his brawn. He could use his brains as well. 

It gave him ideas…

It had been two weeks since the incident and things had not blown over like he had first thought. This was mainly due to the video. Even more flyers had gone up, making the noticeboards and concrete pillars look like morbid colourful collages. Each one letting students know what numbers to contact if they saw anything odd. 

Rhett had decided to become a little more involved with his community.   
Security cameras had been set up all over the campus and neighbouring streets and Rhett had fucked with every single one of them. Some he utterly destroyed, some he spray painted, others, he changed their angels so that they pointed the wrong way. It had become a rather hilarious game for him, to go out every day or so and find them all. To see which ones had been fixed and mess with them again. He went further and further, sometimes catching the tram across the city to fuck with cameras elsewhere. 

The blood results had come back and three more shifters were found amongst the students. The incubi poured in to escort them out. Two had already vanished. Whilst they marched in to obtain the third, Rhett snuck on board the air carrier and destroyed as much gear as he could get his hands on with just a Philips head crew driver, a hammer and a pair of tweezers. 

He did such a good job; the carrier wasn’t able to take off. He scored himself a new pair of sunglasses whilst he was at it. Didn’t wear them though. For shits and giggles, he put them on a statue of one of the city’s leaders riding a horse. The photo ended up online. 

A lot of photos ended up online. 

Including several of the enormous white and grey wolf that had been sighted in the subway, biting an incubus who was trying to obtain an old man. Another of him chasing a lone soldier out of a shop. They were calling him Ghost. He was there, he attacked, and he vanished. Rhett watched the online news for other signs of the rebellion. They were few and far between. Whilst his actions had caused a stir, from what he could tell, the rebellion took a very passive stance. For months they had only been attempting small jobs. Vandalism, theft, lesser known locations and less important targets. It seemed to Rhett that they hadn’t wanted to put themselves in too much danger. 

That pissed him off.

Rhett was careful not to appear as the wolf too often around the school. They could suspect it was his home but they didn’t know for sure and they couldn’t prove it. There had been more arrests. He saw on the news that several people had been taken into custody for causing a seen, protesting the incubus in a shopping centre. Small freedoms that the humans had been given were being taken away.

Outside of the city there were more and more photos of people painting over Incubus symbols, burning the flags of the empire. The incubi were trying to keep the true damage to a minimum, reporting that most of the photos were phony, that people were creating fake news for a bit of fame and controversy. People should be more sensible and not be taken in by disruptive behaviour. They were taking the photos down as fast as they went up but the internet swallowed everything and they couldn’t stop them all. 

Students were clustered about in tight nit groups, whispering to each other. He watched one girl lift her head and look around nervously before ducking back down to whisper to the boy next to her. Everyone was uncomfortable and nervous. 

There were more soldiers around than ever and every school assembly now had an incubus official sit in. They wanted absolute control and they were going to have it by suffocation if nothing else. There had to be something bigger that Rhett could do. Something they couldn’t write off as fake news or the work of an attention seeker. He brought up a map of the city and looked at it for a long time. 

There was a memorial in the city centre. That’s what they called it anyway. It was a large metal plated wall. Etched into one side was the names of those shifters who had willingly given themselves over into incubus servitude to become workers or blood slaves during the initial take over. Heart thumping, Rhett studied the map. It was a relatively open area. There would be cameras and most likely guards. This was a dangerous idea. He could be arrested. If he was, he could be executed. He took a deep breath.

He would go tonight.

Rhett stayed low to the ground. Adrenaline was pumping hard through his muscles. This was the most ridiculous thing he had ever done. It had actually been easier than he had first though to get to the town centre. The incubi were still pretending there was no real problem. It would probably have looked odd to have soldiers marching up and down the shopping district so apart from a middle aged tired looking policeman and a single incubus near a coffee shop, Rhett hadn’t seen a soul.

It was a little after midnight and the streetlight illuminated a mostly empty street. There were a few cars trundling down the main road and loud voices from a pub a little ways a way but Rhett’s path to the memorial statue was clear. He padded closer, every muscle tense, ready to leap back or shift. 

He took out his chisel and after another long look around, he set to work. It took the better part of two hours, gashing out the names. He had to go slow because, to his own ears, the tapping of the chisel was loud. He stopped several times, his heart in his throat, sure that someone was coming up the street but they always turned and once, it was just a stray cat. It was a warm night and Rhett wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. 

He took out his stencil and the can of black spray paint and went back to work.

\--

“Shock has gripped the city after a brutal and heartless vandalization of one of the city’s most precious monuments last night…” The news reader said, her face set in a grim expression. Rhett looked up from his book. It was difficult to keep his face straight. Several students looked up from their work at the television screen as words appeared on camera.

Next to the words was a large, black paw print. As quickly as it was on screen the camera crew were shunted back by several angry looking incubi. There was a lot of commotion, the camera swinging to the ground as angry words were exchanged. Apparently, they had not been cleared to film what had been written.   
The footage cut back to the stunned looking newswoman. Her cheeks paled and her gaze snapped from the camera to somewhere off to the left. She looked scared and quickly darted her eyes back down to her notes on the desk. A note was passed to her and she read it with wide eyes before looking back up at the camera

“Urhm… three teenagers were apprehended this morning for the disfiguration of the monument. Officers on duty said they caught the teens fleeing to area and are holding them in custody to wait trail.” There were whispers all around Rhett as the students all watched the frightened news woman tumble over her words.   
Rhett stared; his mouth partly opened. They arrested people!? Or were they just saying they had to look as though they had everything under control? He felt his fingernails lengthen and had to take a few deep breathes, his eyes closed. He didn’t want anyone to glance his way and see his eyes change colour.

It wasn’t enough. 

He needed something bigger. Something they couldn’t explain away or brush off. 

He needed a bigger target.

\--

Several vehicles belonging to known incubi party members have been vandalised as just one set of attacks that has seen an increase over the last few months. It is unclear if these attacks are the work on just one unstable individual or a group of mislead terrorists. Authorities are investigating every possible lead.

Louie’s lip curled as he read. An entire month of this shit and he still had nothing! It seemed unbelievable that so much damage had been done by one shifter alone but the white fur found at each scene along with the wide heavy pawprints were unmistakable. Just as it was unmistakable that they had been left on purpose. He could no more tell the age of this shifter then he could the appearance of its human counterpart. The only thing they could confirm with any certainty was that the beast was male. 

Surely the individual had to be a member of the resistance. A group that had receded into near nothingness in the last few years was seeing a resurgence. Perhaps this man was an old solider, perhaps lost family in the war. He had already requested the records of police personal as well the families of any known shifter in service who was captured in the last two years. So many names, so many backgrounds. Several names had jumped out but had yet to lead to anything. He had to be there in the records somewhere. 

This man must be well trained to have succeeded were so many had failed…

\--

Rhett had no fucking idea what he was doing. 

He stared at the console; the manual clutched in his other hand. It really was rather ridiculous the kind of things one could download from the internet. He had precious little time before the guards he had distracted with a small pipe bomb would come back to the ship. He had wanted to pull the console apart for parts but it was a newer model then any he had seen before and his manual didn’t match. He blew out a breath. Fuck it. 

He went to Plan B, slamming the end of the crowbar into the side of the plate and prised the metal apart. He had already received a nasty burn once when he had cut the wrong wire and been given a strong jolt of electricity up the arm. There had been several close calls over the last few weeks. Some closer than others. Lately, he had taken to setting up a laptop of camera and filming his vandalisms. 

Titled “DIY freedom” he had uploaded them. His newest video had over one hundred thousand views on it already. He was rather chuffed by their success. Not that they often stayed up for long. 

He was careful to stay out of frame other then his gloved hands or boots. He looking over his shoulder to make sure the red light was on and recording before he placed his second homemade explosive into the hole he made. He set it and hurriedly packed away his tools. He scooped up his camera and slipped out the cockpit door, his nose sniffing for the returned soldiers. He swung the camera around as he made it to the low concrete wall and counted down in his head. He put his hands over his ears.

The explosion wasn’t as big as he would have liked. He still hadn’t quite mastered the construction of his little bombs. Still. Flame and black smoke billowed from the side of the carrier as shouts and screams erupted from the surrounding street. Rhett stayed as long as he dared before switched off the camera and heading for the shopping district. The more people, the better. He dodged passed shocked onlookers and horrified mothers, their child swept out of their strollers into a crushing embrace of their terrified parents. 

This was his most daring stunt yet. Broad daylight on a public street. That was in a sense, why it had also been easier then expected. No one would have believed an incubus ship would be destroyed on a regular Tuesday lunchtime. It was surreal. People sitting in a nearby café were at once swarmed with uniformed offices and corralled. A group of smartly dressed business woman going for lunch were stopped in their tracks. Two scotty terroirs being walking by an elderly woman were barking madly as little pieces of debris rained merrily down from the sky. 

The atmosphere was thick with shock, fear and disbelief. 

\--

“How can you have nothing!?” Louie roared. The officer flinched. 

“We weren’t prepared.” The officer admitted, his voice shaking sightly.

“Clearly!” Louie shouted. A video had already been posted online of the ship’s sabotage. The second he had seen it come up he knew his fate had been sealed. There was no ignoring this. Even if they had caught Ghost, the damage this would do for the appearance of the empire was crippling. And he had nothing. He was breathing hard. His claws bit into the soft wood of his desk. He was done. His career was over. His life?

“Unprepared would certainly be putting it mildly.” The voice cut through the air more effectively then a gunshot. Louie sprung from his position to stand beside his officer and they both dropped to their knees as two figures strode into the office.

“Oh Louie. Just what are we going to do with you?” General Janos walked past the two hunched figures without looking at them.

“I accept full responsibility for this, sirs.” Louie choked out.

“Of course, you do. You’re incompetent, not stupid.” Said the other general. The man that knelt beside Louie was practically panting with fear. Louie didn’t blame him. He was aware of his own uniform sticking to him with cold sweat.   
The generals were here. Here. 

“Would I be correct in presuming you have nothing to give us?”   
Louie opened his mouth and then closed it again. No excuse would be good enough. 

“Yes sire.” It was all he could get out.

“Disappointing but not surprising. All this time and you can’t even manage to catch one little boy.” Louie’s head came up from its bowed position.

“Boy, sire?” He croaked. He caught Janos’s blood red eyes and dropped his gaze again quickly.

“Indeed.”

“I mean no disrespect sires but I don’t believe that-”

“We know you don’t. It’s why you have failed so abysmally. Your men have been prioritising adults when they should have been focusing on the most obvious culprits.” Louie’s breathe caught jaggedly in his lungs. 

“We’ve searched that school several times-” He was cut off again.

“Yes, with much noise and announcement. I’m sure boy found it laughably easy to sneak off during your ridiculous parades.” The suggestion that the attacked were all engineered by a teenage boy sounded ludicrous. Louie kept his mouth firmly shut though. He wasn’t suicidal. 

“We will return to the-”

“You will do nothing. Janos and I will go and collect the boy.” 

“Sire.” He croaked. He made to stand but a set of claws bit into his shoulder.

“Oh no lieutenant. You and your officer may stay kneeling. We haven’t eaten yet.”

\--

It took awhile for Rhett to set up the laptop the way he wanted it. More research and a fair amount of sleuthing and he had found a house that was up for sale but already vacated. Making sure the blinds where closed and street was quiet, Rhett set up the computer on a desk that had been left behind. 

He wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed since he had begun his one-man crusade against the incubus. He tried to upload videos or photos as much as possible. He took a rather large amount of pride in messing with the lieutenant of the local soldiers although he hadn’t seen the incubus in a little over two weeks. Perhaps there were bigger problems that man now needed to address. If that was the case, Rhett wanted to know what they were.

He still desperately wanted to believe that he wasn’t the only one. There had to be other humans out there making more of a stand. He just couldn’t find them. They must have been better at hiding themselves and covering their tracks. He would find a way to get in contact with them. 

Rhett was about to hit the record icon to set up another “DIY” video when the laptop started to jingle, scarring the crap out of him. He starred at the call symbol that had appeared on screen. Someone was trying to facetime him. How the fuck was that possible!? His hand hovered over the reject button but then he stopped. What if this was it? What if this was how they communicated with him? Slowly he hit the button.

The backdrop looked like an office. It was neat and warmly lit, bookshelves visible on one side. Rhett’s mouth went dry. It didn’t look like a civilian office. Especially not with the red flag visible on the far wall. A figured stepped into the camera’s view. Rhett looked into the webcam and a man’s face was looking back out at him with a pair of blood red eyes. 

“Well hello there, Ghost.” This incubus was looking straight at him. Rhett froze, his own eyes wide. 

“Is now a good time to talk?” Continued the incubus. Rhett stared. This was unreal. The screen was not the best quality but he could see well enough to know that this man was of a different quality then the soldier he’d been dealing with. His uniform was trimmed with gold and his eyes… his eyes were completely red, pupil and all. Rhett swallowed. 

This wasn’t good. He tried for casual calm.

“Morning. How did you find me?” He said in what he hoped was a jaunty voice. He was unnerved when the incubus grinned back.

“Good morning. I must say, I’m delighted to meet face to face at last. You’re such a huge internet celebrity right now. Such a gorgeous face you have to.” He purred. Rhett felt a shiver run the length of his spine. He could have thought this demon attractive. Most of them were. High cheek bones, long hair and aristocratic features, Rhett could have though the man pretty if not for those insanely unnatural eyes. 

“Word to the wise though, you really shouldn’t use the same laptop for all your uploads. It makes it rather easy to track.” The man said. Rhett was fixed to spot, his hands clasping the desk for support. This was like some fantastic nightmare. How could he have been so stupid!? Trying to rein back a little more control of the conversation he made himself meet those blood red eyes.

“Thanks for the advice, I’ll keep it in mind. It’s been a learning curve. Not too difficult mind, given the sheer stupidity of most soldiers.” He said tightly, forcing a leer. 

“I see you met my lieutenant, Louie?” asked the man on the screen. Rhett blinked. His grin became a more real this time. 

“Louie? His name is Louie? That’s a terrible name for a lieutenant!” He laughed. The incubus chuckled.

“What were you expecting?” He asked brightly. Rhett snorted.

“I don’t know. Maybe a Thomas or a Stonewall or a Dwight. Between you and me, you really need to have more appraisals of you men. He is truly shocking at his job.” Rhett said matter-of-factly. Maybe it was the fact that this was just a camera but he wasn’t as frightened a he probably should have been. The adrenaline was back, pumping through his blood and he couldn’t help tease just a little. The incubus tipped his head.

“Mmm, you may be on to something there. Never fear though. He has been replaced.” Said the man. Rhett looked into the lens, a sense of trepidation creeping down his spine.

“Oh? By who?” He asked, already guessing the answer.

“By me and my associate.” The incubus purred. 

“Don’t suppose your name is Trudy?” Rhett said, his voice a little more rasped. One sharp fang showed on the man’s fox-like face.

“I’m afraid not. I am General Janos. And you, little Ghost, are about to become my newest pet project.” Rhett felt his insides go cold. He stance lost some of its ease. His legs were starting to twitch. He wanted to slam the laptop closed and run. 

“I can advise Labradors. They’re good with children.” Rhett said, still trying to seem uncaring though his heart was now starting to pound in his ears. 

“We’ll see you very soon little wolf. We’ll even give you a head start.” Janos promised. Rhett’s eyes darted to the corner of the screen in shock as something else in the background moved. Something tall, and languid, hidden in the shadowed corner. He caught a flash of glowing red eyes. There had been a second incubus in the room! Before he could recover from his start, the screen went black and Rhett really did panic. 

He stumbled back from the desk. He could hear the sounds of an air craft carrier flying low overhead. He darted to the window and peered carefully through the blinds. It was landing near the end of the street! Heart pounding, Rhett stepped back. He stared at the laptop. 

The damage was done. He left it where it was and made for the back garden. The house was buried deep in the suburbs. There were houses on all sides, the streets sweeping and weaving in and around each other like a rabbit warren of pretty flower gardens and neat hedges. Rhett put his hands on the stone wall ledge and hurled himself up. He tumbled into the garden of the house behind. He wouldn’t go into the street or the alleyways which the soldiers would surely expect him to do. 

He would fence jump his way as far as he could, only dashing across the roads when it was absolutely necessary. Out here in the open on a windy afternoon his scent would carry heavy on the wind. He crouched low and shuffled across the garden to the next fence. He tried to land as lightly as he could on the grass so to not leave heavy foot prints. The dog next door began to bark wildly. Cursing, Rhett chose the house on the other side. 

After landing in this backyard, his scurried to the side gate, down the little front garden pass and across the silent road. There were a few parked cars in driveways but not many. It was still to early in the afternoon for parents to be bringing children home from school. He froze when he heard the crunching footsteps of something heavy. Rhett pressed himself carefully under a large begonia bush, the red flowers and dark leave settling around him. 

“See anything?” called a male voice. He didn’t recognise it. 

“Not yet.” Said another man from somewhere close. Rhett barely breathed, taking a minute to collect himself as the solider peered over the fence from across the street. The demon looked one way, and then the other. For one terrifying heartbeat, he though he saw the incubus looked straight through the thick foliage and straight into his face but then…

“Let’s keep moving.” The head retreated back over the wall. Rhett waited carefully for a few more minutes before quietly easing himself out from his hiding place. Wet leaves and mud had pressed into the now damp shirt. He ignored it heading around the back of the house to continue pressing deeper into the suburbs. He was listening to every rustle of wind, every press of car tyre on the road, every murmur of conversation from a partially open window as he slowly but consistently got further away from the house and the laptop that had nearly trapped him. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if this whole thing had been some demented show of power and experience. He saw some clothing hanging out on the line and went over to inspect. He couldn’t sneak back onto the campus with a muddy shirt and ripped sleeves from the hedges. There wasn’t anything on the lines that would fit him but four houses down he found a plain enough blue shirt in his size. He took it, folding and carefully tucking it under one arm.

As he slung one leg over the nearest wall, he couldn’t quiet shake the feeling that someone was still following him. He could hear nothing, smell nothing and see nothing but as he shimmed down the other side, for the briefest of moment he could had sworn he saw a glow of something red somewhere beyond a flower bed of neatly groomed English roses bushes. 

\--

END

\--


	3. Fight or Flight

\--

Chapter Three  
Fight or Flight

\--

That. 

That had been too close for comfort. Rhett rested his head back on the slightly delipidated leopard print seat of the bus. He let its trundling pace rock him into something resembling calm. He was exhausted. His palms were cut and sore from his climbs over all the different walls and fences. His jeans were filthy. It had taken quite a while for his limbs to stop shaking. 

Maybe... Maybe he should stop all this. 

This was getting even more dangerous. This was past a sharp thrill or a game of cat and mouse. This was the first time, staring into that man’s face, that he actually felt like a mouse. They had tracked him, knew what he looked like, how he operated. It was possible this general had already guessed he had been living at the school. 

Maybe he should go back? 

Or maybe he should just stay on the bus then catch the next bus? Then the next and the one after that until he could be far away from this city and everything it stood for. 

There weren’t any free places as such but by starting a fresh in a new region, he could lay low, be safer. He bit his lip. He couldn’t stop thinking of that man’s facial expression when he said “…my newest pet project.” The only way he could describe it was predatory excitement. His stomach flipped. 

He stayed on that bus until it reached its last stop. He still hadn’t made his mind up when it did. Twice, when the bus had slowed at traffic lights, Rhett had ducked down low in his seat as men in uniform strode past on the street. His stomach growled with hunger. He had gone a long way today. Now that he had cooled down and the adrenaline had worn off, he was really feeling his exhaustion. His back and calf muscles had stiffened up on the long bus ride and he was forced to awkwardly hobble down the steps to the amusement of the old bus driver watching. 

He didn’t have much cash on him. He could maybe get a burger and a bottle of water. The cafeteria at school would be bustling with students by now. The food there wasn’t the best but it was better than living on the streets picking out leftover from garbage cans or eating cheap vending machine burritos. He had eaten a fair few of those in the last year or so. He still had to get back onto campus. That was assuming it wasn’t already swarming with soldiers. Rhett groaned quietly.

He’d really fucked himself over this time. 

Shoving his hands in his pockets he started walking. He didn’t have anywhere else to go. He didn’t really consider the school home, even though it was far nicer than the one he had grown up in until his aunt and uncle took him in. He at least had a bed and didn’t have to worry about anyone breaking into his room or his mother collapsing in his bedroom doorway, to strung out to recognise him…  
Rhett stopped briefly at a small general store. The old display light hummed noisily over a few sad cartons of nearly expired sushi and a couple of ham and tomato sandwiches. He grabbed one of the sandwiches. The sweat stained man at the counter didn’t even look up from his newspaper as he handed Rhett his change. 

Rhett ate hungrily as he walked, downing his bottle of water in a few painful gulps. He refused to meet the gaze of anyone he passed. Chin stubbornly up and eyes stiffly forward, he marched on as though on a mission. He felt fidgety and slightly paranoid. He took a lot of side streets and alleyways, avoiding the security cameras wherever possible. When a pair of incubus guards walked down the sidewalk towards him, Rhett made an abrupt turn and went into a clothing shop. He busied himself amongst a rack of jackets and didn’t leave until he was sure they were gone. The shop assistant had watched him suspiciously from a table where she was neatly folding shirts. She probably thought he was in there to nick something. 

He walked and walked. The sky got softer and darker until the street lights flickered to life, illuminating the bustling street with tatty orange. Rhett was both relieved and annoyed by the great number of people. It made himself easier to hide in plain sight but he was also hopelessly conscious that someone else could just as easily sneak up on him. He felt like there were eyes on him everywhere he turned. When a man nearly colliding with him, to deep in conversation with his companion to notice, Rhett had opened to his mouth to yell at the asshole. He had to quickly clamp a hand to his mouth as he felt his gums prickle and knew that his teeth were sharpening into canine points. Rhett hurried away, ignoring the bewildered look from the guy who had barged him. 

It was very late by the time he got back to the school. Even though he was aching to find and climb into his bed, Rhett paused on the perimeter. He rocked on his heels, his eyes seeking movement in the dark. A few crickets chirped and there was the soft bubble of nearby late traffic. A wind tossed the leaves and a stray empty coffee cup. Everything seemed peaceful enough. He wasn’t convinced though. 

He took two slow laps of the enormous campus, sniffing the air and inspecting every impression of footprint he could, looking for signs of more soldiers. There was a whiff of smoke from a few students who had snuck out to light up a few cigarettes near the boundary. Their quiet murmur of conversation carried on the wind though he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

He was so on edge that when a car door slammed a street away, Rhett had shifted on the spot. Hackles raised; fangs barred he stood statue still until he could reign in some control over his instincts. He stayed as a wolf, being careful not to put his heavy paws anywhere that would leave a noticeable pawprint. Sticking to the sidewalk, he took one slower trip around, sniffing with the greatest care. 

He smelt nothing odd, saw nothing odd and this time, he heard nothing odd.

It was almost two in the morning when Rhett finally snuck back into the dorms and locked himself in his tiny room. He stripped off his ratty spoiled clothes and collapsed on the bed. He didn’t even have a chance to pull the blankets up before he was asleep. 

\--

It was late morning when he finally woke, stiff in every limb. That was the upside to not actually having to attend classes. He could get up whenever he wanted. With a low pained groan, he sat up. The sensation of pins and needles cascaded down his arm. He slept on it the night before, to exhausted to roll over or move.   
His nose twitched. 

Jeez. He stunk. 

Grabbing a fresh uniform and pulling on some shorts, Rhett crept out of his room and headed for the boy’s showers. He was desperate for a shower as hot as he could stand. It was blessedly empty of other students. He turned on the taps and stepped under the spray expectantly. He was not impressed by the pathetically weak water pressure that only got to luke-warm. That’s what he got for getting up so late. 

The cuts on his hands stung as he lathered soap over his sore muscles. His mind started to wander as the water poured over his shoulders. With his eyes closed he could see those red irises, the quirk of a bow shaped mouth, one long pearly white canine. Rhett shivered. High cheekbones, a soft jaw and long hair bound in a pony tail, the general could have been called pretty if not for what he was. 

And who was the other? 

He remembered that flashing shadow. It had stood so still, stone like and towering. Perhaps it was just his own tired mind playing tricks with his memory. The hot rush of adrenaline that had followed that had been intense. He could hardly remember how he had gotten back to campus during the night. He strained his memory, trying to think if he had made anymore insane mistakes. He only ever used cash, staying out of the public view as much as possible and rarely spoke with the other students. He was a complete non entity here. At least he hoped he was.

Rhett begrudgingly turned off the water when it went from vaguely warm to icy cold. He dried himself off with his scratchy towel and pulled on the school uniform. It was a little tight. He was going to have to find one the next size up. He would have to wait until lunch time to be fed, the morning classes now well underway. There were a few other students on a free period wandering about in little groups or sitting at benches. They ignored him as he made his way back to his dorm. 

As he turned down the corridor that lead to the boy’s rooms, he felt a familiar prickle at the back of his neck. He froze into absolute stillness, lifted his head and sniffed. The campus was filled with too many bodies. Deodorant, perfume, laundry detergent, coffee as well as the smell of sour body odour and cigarette smoke saturated the stone and brickwork of the buildings. He couldn’t pick out any one scent. He looked around but there wasn’t anyone about. Rubbing at the back of his neck, he continued on until he reached his door. He was reaching for the door handle when he saw it.

Peek-a-boo 

The note was written in large looping scrawl across a pristinely white piece of paper. Rhett stared. His heart was in his throat. It didn’t mean anything. It could be a weird joke from one of the other boys. It didn’t mean… He reached a shaking hand for the door handled again. There was a sound of something moving behind that door, a thump of some kind. His instincts took over and throwing caution to the wind, Rhett dropped his towel, turned tail and ran. 

\--

Janos watched the boy stop in the walkway. His own body tingled with excitement. The ancient rhythm of the hunt hummed thickly in the base of his skull. Only Martel’s clawed hand on the back of his neck kept him steady and poised. He felt coiled, like a trained hound waiting for his master’s command to run down the prey and rip into what he could already scent would be a soft and delicious meat. The boy, Rhett, according the passport they had found, was completely still.

The incubi were standing down wind. Their scent shouldn’t carry. He couldn’t possibly have seen them up there on the third story platform yet something had made him stop. Janos could have purred, his muscles taught with anticipation and excitement. Their prey finally moved over to the door. Janos watched, breathless as the boy read his note. A moment, not much more and the wolf fled. Martel gave a quiet snort.

“You truly love playing with your food.” Martel said dryly.

“Do you really mind?” He crooned, already knowing the answer. The other general sighed.

“No.” He rumbled in his deep modulated tone. 

“He’s gorgeous.” Janos breathed excitedly. Those powerful claws wound through his bound hair in warning. 

“Show some control Janos. If the rumours are even somewhat true then this boy is a threat to us in his beast form.” Martel murmured, his grip like steel cable. Janos shivered. 

“That’s what makes him perfect. He could be exactly what the king is looking for, what we have been looking for.” 

“Or he could be untrainable.” Martel added drily. Janos gave in inelegant snort.

“When have you ever failed to train a pet?” He asked mockingly.

“Never.” Martel growled. The hard tug on his hair that followed made his cock twitch in his slacks. 

“Don’t get over confident. We may still have to put him down.” His lover murmured, his talons easing in his bound hair. Janos twisted his neck and pressed a submission kiss to his lover’s jaw. 

“Come. We have a wolf to catch.” Janos purred.

\--

Where the fuck was he going!? 

Rhett’s shoes thumped the pavement as he dodged down the stairs into another corridor. A young girl gave a startled yelp as he brushed passed her on the turn. He knew he shouldn’t have come back. He should have just collected up what little he had in his dorm and left the night before! He saw the library from across the banister and pulled up short. He held his breathe trying to listen for footsteps over the sound of his own pounding heartbeat. 

He had almost six hundred dollars in cash back in his room, stuffed in his tiny desk. It may not seem like much but it represented over nine months of hard saving. It would make a big difference when he couldn’t shift between travelling. Was it worth trying to go back for? The rest of his clothes, his work phone, that one photo of his childhood friends back in his home town, all of it was in that room. He snarled out a curse, running a shaking hand through his damp hair. He didn’t have long to decide. If he didn’t go now, they would strip his room and seize everything they found. 

Maybe…

An idea slowly started to form in his mind. If the generals were here already here, they had to have arrived here only recently. Incubus of that rank wouldn’t just arrive in a blacked-out car. They would have come in an air carrier. 

Changing tack in a flash, Rhett doubled back, heading for the nearest set of stairs. He climbed fast, made it up two floors before racing across the ramp to the next set at the other end of the science building. He kept climbing, ignoring the fiery pain in his already tired calves. He reached the roof top, ignored the greenhouses and ran to edge, leaning over the concrete barrier. 

His face split into an evil grin. They wanted him to run scared? 

Well, fuck them.

\--

“Where is he?” Janos muttered. They had watched the boy race into courtyard and out of sight. He had expected the boy to come flying down the main corridor or perhaps one of the pathways leading to the workers entrance of the school. When minutes passed and neither had occurred, Janos felt a leap of excitement.

“He didn’t take the easy way out last night either.” Martel murmured at his side. 

“He knows he has to get off the premises. Surely he isn’t going to try and wait us out?” Janos poked at his monitor scream, flicking through the cameras. 

“Perhaps. It’s a strategy that has worked for him in the past.” Martel’s tone was stroked through with amusement. 

“We may have to flush him out.” Janos glance over his shoulder to the woman waiting quietly. She was chalk white. The makeup applied to her cheeks stood out even more vividly. Her black hair was styled into a tight bun and her neat, plain uniform matched her rather severe jawline and thin lips. The principle had protested their arrival. Janos had to commend her rather brave attempt to protect her students. Futile of course, but commendable. 

Her expression was vacant, completely taken in under the compulsion Martel had set on her. She would bounce on one foot for him if he so much as asked. She would take off her smart black boots and leap to her death, her skull cracking open on the pavement in front of her precious student if he wanted it so. 

“Ms Morgan, you will call a school assembly and make it know that we will be delivering a speech. Go now please.” Martel said without looking at her. The woman’s mouth opened, hung that way for a moment and then closed again. She turned and made her way down the stairs. 

“Give the order to set up the speakers.” Martel murmured, coming back over to where his lover stood. Janos’s grin showed every one of his long-pointed teeth.

“With pleasure.”

\--

Rhett didn’t have time to collect any tools. Another school assembly had been called and both students and teachers were flooding the corridor. He had gone straight for the air carrier. He had seen several incubus soldiers, most of them herding students. He did note a few human soldiers mixed in. He had snuck up the last set of stairs and passed two more guards before ending up at the huge carrier. 

The first problem was that unlike his previous target, this one did not have its rear bay open. He sat crouched, thinking what to do. It was blustery up here and he was having trouble hearing what was happening down below. Those guns the soldiers carried could cut through metal, he knew. Should he go back and try to take one down? They usually moved in pairs. If he was fast enough as a wolf, he might be able to get them on the ground before they could radio for help.   
He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts he hadn’t noticed the presence of another person on the rooftop.

“Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head.” Called a voice. It sounded from close behind. He flung himself sideways and the man cursed. Before the solider could bring the muzzle of his gun around, Rhett had shifted. He registered the man’s shocked expression before his huge paws slammed into his chest, knocking the man back to the concrete. The gun clattered off to the side. The full weight of the animal made the man wheeze, his ribcage protesting the weight.

Rhett stared down; his lips pulled back in a snarl. To his own shock, he was able to register two things as the solider below him stared up with eyes that changed from human brown to snake yellow. One, this man was human and two, this man was a shifter.

Rhett backed up. The man scrambled backward, still winded.

“You’re a shifter and you work as a solider for them? Don’t you have any shame or pride?” Rhett snarled, his voice box grating in a partial shift. The man, his sandy blond hair plastered to his forehead with sweat tried to stand. Rhett growled low, freezing the solider in place. The man glared at him.

“You don’t understand what you’re doing. It took me years to get this position. We are getting so close and your about to ruin everything!” the man hissed. Rhett stared for several long minutes when realisation suddenly dawned.

“You’re with the rebellion?” Rhett asked, fur bristling.

“Yes, you idiot! Do you understand the damage that you’ve done? These creatures don’t care about laws or mercy. They won’t just kill you; they’ll kill everyone you’ve ever spoken to! We’ve been trying to get to the king, to infiltrate under cover but you’ve stirred up the hornets’ nest and now we are all in danger.” Rhett shook his head

“Whatever your doing, it isn’t working.” He growled. The solider sneered.

“And you think your method is? People are terrified.” Rhett shifted from paw to paw. He was confused. He was angry. 

“Turn yourself in and you might still save your family.” The man hissed. Rhett gave a low growl.

“I have no family, nothing to lose.” The wolf took a step closer.

“Then your nothing but a liability.” The man muttered. He darted for the gun as the wolf lunged for him. 

Humans soldiers weren’t permitted incubus technology and the resulting gunshot from the Glock echoed from the rooftop. Rhett leapt sideways, the bullet barely grazing him flank. He could hear footsteps of heavy boots and shouts from down below. Using only the few short strides available, the wolf gathered himself and leapt from the rooftop onto the next, staggering a little on landing before running on. 

Rhett gave up all pretence of calm and ran as the devil itself chased him. Leaping from roof top to roof top, he raced along the buildings with only one goal in mind, get out of the campus and into the streets. He turned down a set of stairs only to double back at the sound of shouted orders. 

How had they got ahead of him so quickly!?

Back up the stairs, he shifted and raced into one of the narrow side corridors. Finding an open window, he climbed inside, crouching inside the dark classroom to catch his breathe. His legs trembled as he drew in aching lung fulls of air. This was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that he was running for his life. The classrooms were all empty, the occupants now in the massive hall. He crept out, but didn’t get far before he could hear more voices. Voices yelling and shouting.

“He’s here! Over here!” 

Cursing, Rhett ran, his sneakers sinking in the stained carpet of the classroom hallway. Back outside, back down more stairs, he paused by the fire door, listening hard. It was odd because he couldn’t hear the sound of boots, couldn’t feeling any vibrations as the yelling continued. If he had been calmer, he could have processed what that meant. If he had been less tired, he could have thought more clearly and realized that he hadn’t seen a soul. He wasn’t though and all he could think was that he had to get out. 

He was getting to the edge of the taller buildings now. Through the courtyard and out to the left and Rhett would be in the student carpark. He jumped the banister, dropping down a floor and landing. The thud sent a shockwave of pain up through his legs but he ignored it, shifting on the spot to take the last dash out into the open. 

The ground was damp and the grass beside the footpath was long and lush. Rhett dove into it, his paws relieved to be pressed into the cool earth instead of the ripping concrete. He saw the movement in his corner of his eye. Fast, so fast, like another animal racing its way towards him. He saw the metallic flash and scent that reached him was terrifying and somehow familiar. 

The metal net flew down and landed on him, pinning him to the ground. He thrashed and snapped, his jaws tangling in the metal links of chain. The heavy form on the incubus general knelt over him, pressing him into the long damp grass. Even pinned, even exhausted, with his limbs barely working, it took close to twenty minutes before the enormous wolf finally went completely still.

Small white and red lights winked in his vision. His sides heavied as his burning lungs tried to take in air. Every limb twitched with pain and fatigue. Even if the net was removed, he knew he could no longer get up. Gasping, he lay on his side, to aching and tired to move at all. 

“That was a fantastic fight.” Purred the deep voice of the standing general. He was the one from the webcam. Janos? 

“Indeed.” The incubus kneeling on Rhett ran a hand over the thick grey fur.

“He’s magnificent.” Rhett heard him say. He shut his eyes. It was too much effort to keep them open.

“Six months, he evaded our soldiers.” The voice sounded amused. 

“Here.” There was a light click of metal on glass. Something pricked into the back of his neck, through his thick fur. It barely registered in his exhausted mind. The world seemed to slow down. His limbs felt as though they were filling with sand. He tried to open his eyes but he couldn’t. 

“Let’s get him home.” Were the last words he was able to process before he lost consciousness. 

\--

END

\--


	4. The Generals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I would like to remind my readers of the warning I posted about this story at the beginning. These warnings now come into affect.

\--

Chapter Four  
The Generals

\--

It took a long time for Rhett to come back to the world. The first time he woke, it took him awhile to remember what had happened. He registered the softness under his aching body. His nose twitched. He smelt blood, leather, fabric softener and antiseptic. He tried to lift his head but didn’t even succeed in opening his eyes. He was very comfortable. There might have been voices. Someone might have touched his shoulder. 

He drifted back off. 

The next time he woke, it was like clawing up through quicksand. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was quiet. The scents were the same as before. He was able to make out bars in front of his muzzle. He waited for his bleary eyes to adjust. His body was laid out over an enormous thick dog bed.  
Inside a cage. 

His head was heavy. His tongue flicked out to wet his dry nose. He tasted leather. They had muzzled him. Growling softly, Rhett gingerly tested all of his limbs. His back ached and his paw pads were very tender but everything seemed to be working. He rocked over onto his belly and raised his head. As he shifted, he felt something around his throat. They had collared him too. 

He ducked his head down and clawed at the strap behind his ears that connected the muzzle, trying to pull it off. It didn’t budge. The cage was at least large enough for him to stand up and turn around. He rose on wobbly paws and peered around. He wasn’t overly pleased to see the room was clearly a bedroom though it was larger than any bedroom had a right to be. It had several small alcoves, two of which he couldn’t see around from the cage.

He could see a massive bed off to one side with matching dark timber side tables. There were several bookshelves filled with books and a woven pale blue rug at the end of the bed. He turned around, nearly toppling over in his weakened state. Chairs and a dining table, another rug, more book shelves and three separate closed doors. The floor of the room was cold pale tiles. He thought the grout looked pinker in places then others and the scent of blood in the air made his hackles rise. 

Where the fuck was he!?

He had honestly expected a prison cell. Or worse. He had known the risks when he had started his rebellion. He had known that execution was saved for those who challenged the new government. It was hard to judge how much time passed. He didn’t really have much choice but to lie down and wait for his captors to come back. He had tried to rub against the bars to pull the straps down before he realized the damn thing was buckled to the collar. It wasn’t going anywhere. As he rested, he began to feel a little stronger and his stomach rumbled. He was almost drifting off into another doze when the sound of boots on tile made his ears prick up.  
The largest door in the far left of the massive room swung open and two tall figures walked in. With their uniforms trimmed with gold and their familiar scents, Rhett recognised them at once. These were the bastards who had captured him. 

“Sorry we weren’t here when you woke pup. It’s been a long week. Partly in thanks to you. Lieutenant Riley is rather angry with you. That was his carrier you so rudely tried to dismantle.” Said the incubi with the pony tail. He recognised him from the webcam as Janos. He had a lazy sort of gaze and languid movement as he came to squat by the cage. Even muzzled, Rhett growled, showing fangs.

“I don’t think he likes us.” Said the other, darker haired incubus. Rhett rolled his eyes. The two men laughed. 

“No, but he will learn to. Come now, do you want to change back? We really must have a conversation about your new living arrangements.” Asked the squatting incubus. Rhett stared at him. Oh, he wanted to have the muzzle off. Then he would bite the fuckers face off, bars be dammed. 

“You will not be able to make the transformation in those bindings.” The other man said. He tapped at a device strapped to his wrist. There was a soft beep and several of the buckles of the muzzle and collar came loose. Immediately Rhett began to shake. The feel of the straps made him more desperate and he shook himself violently until the device was off. As soon as he was free, he let out a thundering growl, his lips peeling right back to show his long canines. 

“You will not be permitted to leave this cage unless you are in your human form. You will put the collar back on once you have shifted. It is adjustable and will fit. As you may recall, the man beside me is General Janos. I am General Martel.” The dark hair incubus said. Rhett didn’t move an inch. Neither incubi looked concerned. The two turned back to the room at large.

Gold eyes watched them carefully as Janos began to strip from his heavy uniform. He removed his cufflinks, jacket and boots. Martel rolled up his sleeves but otherwise remained dressed. They ignored there captive as they moved about the room. Janos disappeared behind one the door and Rhett heard the sound of water running. Slowly, as they continued to ignore him, his fur flattened out. He lay back down on his bed and watched them silently. As the day dragged on, he became aware of the room lights dimming. He was starting to get hungry and very thirsty. With little other option Rhett sat up and allowed the shift. The two generals rose from where they had been sitting at the dining table.

“Now aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Janos said happily. Rhett just glared. Martel gestured to the collar.

“Unbuckle it and put it around your neck. Once you’re done, put your wrists through the bars. They will be shackled before you are permitted to leave the cage. Sit and think all you like. We don’t care if you come out today or three days from now.” Martel’s voice was far colder than his companions and as his expression was far more intimidating. Rhett bit his tongue to stop the explosive retort from coming out. It wouldn’t help him now anyway. He picked up the collar, already detesting it and detached the muzzle. He put it around his throat and shuddered when it locked into place with a metallic click.

“Good boy. Now your wrists.” Janos encouraged. Glaring at the tiles Rhett jammed his hands through the bars and Janos knelt to lock solid metal shackles around them. Martel unlocked the heavy lock and the cage door slid open.

“Come.” Martel ordered. Rhett had little choice but to crawl out. It wasn’t particularly dignified but it was the only way he could get out without hitting his head on the metal roof of the cage. As soon as he was out, he stood up, his back aching. He hadn’t yet fully recovered from yesterday. It was then that he realized just how much taller the two demons were. Even without his boots Janos was half a head taller than him and the black-haired incubus was more imposing still and full head taller. Rhett’s clothes were in muddy tatters and he flinch as Janos grasped the remains and ripped them away with very little effort. He had never felt so pathetic as he did now, naked, in chains with collar around his neck. 

“Are you thirsty?” Janos asked, surprising him. He gave a small mute nod. Janos grabbed the chain attached to his cuffed wrists and walked over to the dining table, tugging him along. In the middle of the table were several stacks of military documents, letters and a tray with several mugs and a jug of water. He watched as Martel filled one of the mugs and held it up.

“For putting on your collar and shackles without a fuss, you may drink.” Martel said and Rhett again had to resist the urge to spit in the man’s face. The cup was put to his lips and Rhett drank almost desperately. Water dripped down his chin but he didn’t care. Water had never tasted so good as it did now on his parched throat. He was allowed another half a cup before the incubi drew away. Janos pulled out a chair and sat down. Rhett stood there, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

“Well. Now I think is a good time to discuss your situation.” He said.

“When am I being executed?” Rhett asked. He was proud that his voice hadn’t shaken. He didn’t want them to know he was scared. 

“You aren’t going to be.” Martel said. Rhett blinked, his breathe catching. He wasn’t going to be killed?

“I defied the government.” He said. Janos gave an amused snort.

“You did far more than that pup. You killed one of our own.” They watched the boy’s eyes grow wide.

“What?” He choked out. Janos raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t know? That man you bit saving the cat girl. He bled out before the carrier could get him to the medical facilities.” 

“I… he died?” Rhett whispered. He had attacked many incubi but he had never tried to kill one in cold blood. 

“Yes, he had three daughters and a mate that he left behind.” Martel responded, looking at one of the letters on the table. Rhett tried not to think about it. He shouldn’t feel guilty over this. How many hundreds of thousands of humans had the incubi killed simply for defying their oppression?

“So why not just have me executed? I killed one of your men.” He rasped, his head swimming.

“You have unfortunately become rather popular with the masses. How we handle your punishment will inevitably become public.” Said Martel. Rhett processed this for a moment before it clicked. 

“You don’t want me to become a martyr.” Rhett finished dryly. Martel flashed him a smirk, showing all of his sharp teeth. The sight was unnerving. 

“Correct. Besides. We have been wanting a new pet for some years now and you are rather perfect for the position.” Janos interjected. Rhett shook his head, starting to feel anger rather than fear. He focused on it, using it to meet their gazes head on.

“I am not interested in becoming a blood slave or a fuck toy for incubus.” He snarled, his eyes flashing from brown to gold and back. The two generals smirked.

“Actually, you will be both. Don’t misunderstand, we have no illusions that you will require training, conditioning as it will. I’m actually looking forward to it. We haven’t had a chance to try out some of our newer methods.” Janos said, looking excited. 

“You’re insane.” Rhett growled. Martel tilted his head.

“You seem to be under some misconception that your situation is temporary. It is not. Your days of running around the streets are over. Your freedom is gone. You belong to us now. Your body will do whatever we want it to and soon, your mind will as well. Your soul duties will be to us. You will offer your blood when we require it and your body as we want it.” Martel explained. Rhett shook his head again, his heart pounding in his chest, palms sweaty. There was an odd sort of ringing in his ears.

“Your life as a pet has already begun. How you are treated will depend entirely on your behaviour. Please understand that whilst we may not consider ourselves cruel, we will never bend on our rules. If we tell you to do something, you will do it. Nothing you say or do will prevent it. Do as your told and your reconditioning will be smooth and enjoyable. Fight us and you will lose any and all privileges. That includes meals and a pleasant place to sleep.” Rhett looked from one to the other, his mouth hanging open. His fingers scrunched into fists. His head was whirling. Reconditioning. Even the word made him shudder with disgust.

“Fuck you and fuck your rules. I’d rather rot in prison.” Rhett growled, taking a step back.

“That is not your choice to make. In fact, you will soon discover you will have very little choice in anything anymore. Best accept that now.”

“Fuck you.” He hissed again for lack of anything else to say. Martel clicked his tongue disapprovingly. 

“I think we should begin.” He said. Rhett recoiled but he didn’t have anywhere to go. Janos tugged on his chain and Rhett was forced to stumbled after him as he walked over to a small alcove, he hadn’t been able to see into before. In the centre was a leather padded bench.

“Up.” Janos said cheerfully. Rhett glared. The only warning he got was a light swish of air. Then, pain exploded as something struck his calves hard. Rhett yelped, losing his balance and nearly falling to his knees. He looked back over his shoulder. Martel, a thin black cane in one hand watched him with glinting eyes.

“Up.” Janos said again. Rhett glanced at the bench then back at the incubus. He tried to take a step away but he was wrenched back around by the chains and two more hard brutal strikes landed on the back of Rhett’s legs. He bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood to stop himself from screaming. 

“Up.” Stiff and reluctant, Rhett climbed up onto the padded bench, his legs throbbing in pain from the three strikes. They had not been playful smacks. He could already feel the welts. His chest was heaving, pain flaring as he tried to sit. He had never been hit like that before. He’d been punched, gotten a nasty cut from a broken glass, taken an elbow to the jaw, even been bitten by a dog when he was seven but he had never been lashed by a cane before. The pain was sharp and deep. 

“No, on your knees, legs spread, hands out on top of your thighs.” Janos instructed. Rhett stared at him. The position was insanely exposing. His eyes flicked from one general to the other and then to the cane. Slowly he tried to reposition himself, hyperaware of his flaccid cock was now prominently displayed. 

“This is how you will be for us. You will get into this presentation position whenever we ask you to sit.” Janos said. 

“You’re both disturbed.” Rhett rasped. Janos shrugged; his smile still fixed in place.

“We’ve been called worse.” He said cheerfully.

“You deserve worse.” Rhett snapped back. 

“Keep your mouth open.” Rhett snapped it closed at once, not liking where this was going. Martel stepped off to the side and before Rhett could turn his head to look for him, three hard strikes landed on his exposed back. He yelled. He lurched forward to escape the pain, lost his balance and tumbled off the high bench.  
He landed hard on the ground, his shoulder and head colliding with the tile, stunning him and knocking the air from his lungs. Pain throbbed through his temple.

“Up.” Janos said as though nothing had happened. He gave the chains a little tug. Rhett lay there for a few minutes, struggling to breathe, small lights winking behind his eyes. Struggling to sit up, he tasted more blood and knew he had split his lip. 

“These are not difficult instructions pup.” Janos said. Unable to fight his own instincts, rage pumping hard through his body, Rhett kicked out. His heel aims for the general’s knee. At range, he should be able to break it. A clawed hand grabbed his hair and was wrenched backward, his leg falling short and his heel only grazing Janos’s calf. Rhett have an inhuman snarl, clawing at the hand that was pulling his hair. 

Janos took the cane from Martel and without a word, brought it down on the kicking legs, once, twice, a third and finally a fourth time. The boy screamed, writhing and thrashing as the other general pinned him down. 

When the strikes stopped, Rhett was left gasping for oxygen, his eyes squeezed shut, tears biting at the corners.

“Up.” Janos said and his tone was casual, it was though he were talking about the weather.  
Rhett struggled to his feet and climbed, wobbling, back onto the bench. He nearly fell off again but Janos put out a hand on his shoulder to steady him. 

“Presentation position.” Janos tutted. Panting, face red with pain, anger and humiliation, Rhett opened his legs and tried to sit. His whole body ached. 

“Open your mouth.” This time Rhett did, his eyes flicking again to Martel. 

“Good. Now stay.” He watched as both incubi turned away. Apprehensively, he watched them walk over to the large dining table and sit down. He felt intensely uncomfortable and ridiculous, sitting on his welts, his mouth hanging open. Tears stung the corners of his eyes but he didn’t dare let them go any further. The shackles and collar were tight. He didn’t know if he could shift with them on and wasn’t sure he could make it over to them to attack before they saw him. 

It was unlikely. 

It didn’t take long for the sensation of pins and needles to spread to his feet. His welts hurt like hell and he felt dizzy and hungry. There was a knock on the heavy door and Martel stood to answer it. The incredible smell of coffee and food made Rhett almost sway. His stomach rumbled loudly. He clenched his fists as his mouth filled with saliva. He had to tip his head back to stop it dribbling down his front. He felt ridiculous. 

Neither general looked at him as Martel brought back a large food tray to the table. He passed a steaming mug to Janos and started laying out dishes.

“Normally, we would feed you but your behaviour does not warrant any meal this afternoon. You will stay there until we have finished eating.” Martel turned red eyes on their captive. Rhett tried to look bored, staring blankly back at the incubus. 

He watched miserably as they ate bits of bread, slices of meat and roasted vegetables. Janos sipped delicately at his coffee and smell was enough to drive Rhett mad. He hadn’t eaten since that sandwich two days ago. They took a very long time to finish eating, seeming to put a big show in enjoying their food. 

Rhett hated them both. 

He had no idea how long he sat there like that. There was no clock on the any of the walls he could see. His jaw was now aching and his legs were completely numb except for the intermediate throbbing of the large welts. He was also becoming painfully aware of the pressure in his bladder. When the last of the plates had been stacked back onto the silver tray they stood and came over to him. 

“Would you like to get down?” Janos asked. Rhett nodded.

“You may come down.” This was easier said than done. Rhett tried to shift but his muscles were already stiffening up. His welts pulled and his legs refused to cooperate. As he moved them, blood rushed back in and pain flared sharp and hot along his nerves. He would had fallen hard again if the two men hadn’t stepped up and took hold of his arms, steadying him.

“Breathe.” Martel instructed and is was only then that Rhett realize his gasps were coming short and uneven. They helped him slowly over to a sliding door that revealed a massive bathroom with a deep stone bath. Unable to walk on his own, he was led to the bath. It was already partly filled. Martel helped him to sit on the step and Janos went over to turn the knobs. Hot water splashed into the bath mixing with the cold. 

“I need to… I” Rhett squeezed his eyes shut.

“You need to urinate?” Martel said matter-of-factly. Cheeks burning, Rhett nodded. The large Incubi helped him over to one of the two porcelain toilets. He had already guessed they wouldn’t leave him alone and wasn’t surprised when Martel didn’t turn around. 

“Do you need help?” Martel asked, the corners of his mouth twitching in a smile.

“No.” Rhett growled. Something flashed in the red eyes and he took an instinctive step back. 

“Tone, pet. This is your only warning.” Martel said simply. Unable to bring himself to respond, Rhett turned back around and with trembling hands, opened the toilet lid. It was horribly unnerving, trying to make himself go with the two demons watching him. They didn’t say anything though and waited for him to finish. He was led over to a sink to wash his hands. Rhett glanced up at the mirror and froze with shock. 

He knew he must be dirty; he could smell how dirty he was but he was still shocked at just how bad he looked. His hair actually still had grass tangled in it from the day before. He had scratches and cuts, a dark bruise on his forehead and a cut swollen lip. 

“You are rather a mess but we’ll fix you up.” Janos said, seeing his stunned expression. His wrist chains were tugged again as he was taken over the bath. It was deep and had filled surprisingly quickly. Janos nodded to the water. 

“Get in.” Rhett placed his foot in the water and shivered. It was only luke-warm but he thought that was probably best. Hot water would have been torture on his raw welts. Even so, the water stung razor sharp as he waded in up to his calves and he had to pause to catch his breathe. 

“Those welts were your own choice. Just do as we say and they will be the last ones you will ever get.” Janos said. Rhett ground his teeth together but said nothing. He had noticed that for every time he had refused an order, they had added an extra strike. Next time he was sure it would be five. He sat in the water which came up to his shoulders. They weren’t even going to take his chains off his wrists for his bath. He was handed a cloth and soap.  
He tried to pretend they weren’t there as he washed, tried not to feel their eyes on him. Martel paced, watching him with predatory focus. It made his skin crawl. He wanted to growl. He wanted to shift. He hated them watching him. 

“You should know that beatings are not usual. I would hope we don’t need to repeat them.” Martel said. Rhett met the blood red reds with his own murderous glare.

“I don’t care what you do. I’m not going to break under threat of pain.” Rhett snarled. Neither incubus responded. He turned back to the water, missing a look the two generals shared. After dunking his head a few times and rubbing his eyes clear of suds his wrists were tugged. 

“Out you come pet.” Rhett growled back and tugged.

“I’m not done.” He snapped, losing his patience. Janos gave him a blank look.

“Get out or Martel will hold you under until we feel you understand your error.” 

“What error!? I haven’t done anything!” Rhett yelled, losing his cool completely. He didn’t get a chance to hear Janos respond because a clawed hand fisted his hair and then his head was forced under the water.

Rhett yelped, accidentally inhaling. Water went up his nose and down his throat, filled his lungs, choking him. He thrashed, grabbing uselessly at the powerful arm that held him underwater. The muscle of the forearm was like steel. Water splashed everywhere as he thrashed madly, panic seizing him as his ran out of oxygen. Lungs burnings, limbs weakening, Rhett wondered distantly if this was how he was going to die.

He was wrenched from the water by his hair. He landed painfully on his side, coughing violently. He rolled onto all fours and vomited the little contents of his stomach before collapsing back onto his side, the world spinning around him. Janos sighed.

“I gave you an order. You argued it. Do you understand your error?” Janos asked. Shaking from head to foot Rhett continued to cough for several more moments, just trying to breathe. Afraid of being thrown back in the water, he nodded.

“Out loud please pet.” Janos insisted.

“I went against an order.” He croaked; his throat raw. Janos nodded.

“Very good. Up you get. Normally I would have you clean up the mess you’ve made but I suppose we can be lenient on your first day. Janos, have a servant come by would you love?” Martel murmured. Rhett watched, stunning as Martel ran a thumb along Janos’s jawline. The smaller incubus preened at the touch. They didn’t bother trying to cover Rhett’s welts. They probably knew that, as a shifter, Rhett would heal quickly enough without anything. That or they didn’t care. That was also quite possible.

“Certainly.” Janos replied. Rhett was wrenched to his feet and dragged back through the bathroom and towards his cage. He didn’t even say anything as he was thrown inside. Martel reached through the bars and unlocked his wrists cuff and loosened the collar. 

“Go to sleep pet. You have a very long day ahead of you. I hope, for your sake that you think about your place. I would hate to have to repeat today over.” A black sheet was pulled over the cage, blocking out the outside would much like an owner would do to a pet budgie. Rhett was actually grateful. Trembling all over in a mix of pain, shock and fear, Rhett curled in on himself. He pulled the heavy blanket over his head; desperately grateful they couldn’t see the hot tears that cascaded down his face into his dog bed. 

\--

END

\--


	5. Training

\--  
Chapter Five  
Training  
\--

It was early when the massive black sheet was pulled from the cage. Rhett stayed curled up in the fetal position. He had eventually fallen asleep, his dreams restless and terrifying. He didn’t want to open his eyes and see the bars. He could already feel the collar around his throat and pain of his welts. He knew the day before hadn’t been some fantastic nightmare. 

“Time to be up pup. Put your wrist through the bars please.” Janos always sounded so happy, like there could never be anything to upset him. The man was a monster. Rhett didn’t move. He was scared what would happen if he disobeyed but he didn’t want to leave the tiny safety of his bed. 

“Take your time pet but the sooner the better or you won’t be fed again.” He heard Janos move away and was at least grateful for the few minutes to put himself back together again. He opened his eyes. The overwhelming smell of coffee and bacon made him turn over, his skin stretching painfully with his cuts. Martel was setting a large silver platter on the dining table. Even from where he lay, Rhett could see the steam rising off the dishes and his stomach clenched painfully with hunger. He sat up and reluctantly put his hands through the bars.

“Good boy.” Janos purred. Rhett said nothing, already hating himself. He crawled out as the door opened and got stiffly to his feet. He was led to the bathroom to use the toilet. His eyes inevitably travelled to the now empty bathtub. The bathroom was once more pristine and smelt of faintly of jasmine. Someone had obviously come into clean since last night. Afterward, to his great unease, Janos led him back to the padded bench once more. 

“Up.” Hyperaware that the other incubus general was close by, Rhett climbed up with some difficulty. Janos reach down and clipped the chain of the wrist cuff to a ring in the bench. Then went around to the side. Rhett jumped as something touched his ankle.

“Easy now.” Janos soothed as though he were talking to a spooked mare. Rhett hadn’t noticed the leather cuffs dangling on the bench the day before but Janos now buckled Rhett’s ankles into them. They were at least padded and comfortable but he doubted they would stay that way if he was made to sit in the presentation position for a long time. Now he couldn’t straighten his legs.

“Lovely. Hungry?” The incubus asked. Rhett nodded. Martel gave a sigh, making Rhett start.

“No pet. If you want something, ask for it. Correctly.” He said, his voice low in warning. Rhett took one look at the breakfast table and managed to force his dry throat to make a sound.

“May I please have something to eat sir?” He croaked. Martel considered him for a moment.

“That is acceptable for your first attempt however we are your masters and you will address us as such. Do you understand?” He came closed and Rhett was not impressed to see the black cane tied to the incubi’s belt. 

“Yes master.” Rhett ground out as if the word cost him something great. 

“That will do.” Janos beamed at his and brought over a plate. It was filled with an assortment of hot breakfast foods. He chuckled at the loud growl from Rhett’s stomach and offered him a piece of bacon. Rhett took it eagerly, not even ashamed to be eating from the man’s fingers. Buttered mushrooms, bites of toast and more bacon followed and Rhett ate like a starved man. Next, he was offered water which he drank. 

Janos gave his head a condescending pat before he moved off to eat his own breakfast beside the other general. Rhett watched enviously as Martel drank what smelt like a rich coffee. He never gone so long without coffee before… 

Neither of them looked at Rhett again until they were finished. Janos came back over to him holding a bowl and smiling. Its smelt powerfully of roses. He placed the bowl down on a small side table and clasped his hands together.

“Well. No time like the present.” He said happily. Rhett swallowed. The hell did that mean?  
Martel joined them holding a collar. It was quite different from the one he already wore. This one was delicate, much more decorative and was covered in little tangles of different size chains. It was oddly beautiful and tinkled as it was moved about in Martel’s palm. He placed it around Rhett’s throat. It was tight. Not quite uncomfortable but very close. He would never forget he was wearing it. The little chains tickled him. 

“It is time to start your conditioning. Your first lesson will be both the easiest to understand and the most difficult to accomplish. You belong to us and your body needs to be trained to be ready for us when we need it.” Janos explained, slicking his hand with the strong rose oil. Martel brought him a chair which he sat on, right between Rhett’s exposed legs. Rhett shifted nervously, the shackles clacking. He watched, confused, as Martel snapped his fingers. The sound was loud in the relative quiet of the room.  
Janos took Rhett’s limp cock making him jump violently. 

“Don’t!” the word came out as a reactive yelp. Janos gave him a warning look.

“Don’t talk pet.” Rhett shrank back as far as the chains would allow, shuddering at the unwanted contact. Janos’s touch was gentle and well experienced as he slowly stroked the soft flesh. Rhett bit his lip, startled and uncomfortable. He was also nervous and still sore. He doubted he would even be able to get hard in his present condition. Especially with Martel watching. The incubi were patient though. Janos didn’t seem to mind his lack of enthusiasm. He looked disturbingly content as he traced patterns over his skin with the oil, gentling massaging Rhett’s balls and running long fingers up the length of his cock. Time passed, his hands rubbing at Rhett’s tense thighs and back to his cock. Despite his own wishes, Rhett began to feel his body respond. How long had it been since he had something touch his cock that wasn’t his own hand? Years probably. He squeezed his eyes shut. Time crawled by. Hard slick strokes, one after the other coaxed a response from his aching body. It just felt to good. It was getting difficult to think and soon his cock was hard in Janos’s hand.

“Keep your legs and hips still. You will tell me when you are getting close to climax. I should warn you, if you cum without permission, it will not be pleasant afterwards.” Janos murmured. Rhett shuddered, a groan escaping his lips as Janos sped up his strokes. Martel had stood and was prowling around them. On impulse his hips bucked. A hard slap on the inner thigh made him yelp.

“Hips still.” Martel purred into his ear. Panting, Rhett instinctively tried to close his legs. Another slap.

“Settle.” Neither incubus sounded angry. They waited for him to sit back and spread his legs. His skin was already a warm pink from the two slaps. He had a horrible feeling they would be worse by the end of whatever this session was. When he was still, Janos took his dick back in hand and skillfully worked it back into full hardness. Rhett’s legs twitched as he fought hard not to buck up into the tight slick grip. He threw his head back, another groan rattling from his throat. At least they hadn’t demanded he be silent. He wasn’t sure he would be able to manage it. Martel combed his fingers through Rhett’s curls as Janos massaged his balls. It was embarrassing just how close he was getting to the edge already.

“I’m close.” Rhett grunted. Janos smirked but shook his head.

“Not quite yet. You can get closer.” The incubus purred. His fingers teased the weeping head of Rhett’s cock, traced the veins that ran up the shaft and rubbed the balls that were already drawing up. Rhett moaned loudly, gripping the shackles tight.

“Close?” Janos asked, moving just that little bit faster. Rhett bit his lip hard. It was so good. He nodded his head; he was right there.  
Janos took his hand away. Rhett’s cock jumped, leaking clear liquid and desperate for just a bit more friction. Rhett groaned weakly, sagging. The incubus watched him greedily as his chest heaved. It took Rhett several minutes to calm down but before he could ask what the man intended to do next, Janos took his erection back in hand and began to stroke again. He nearly shouted. 

As he moved, the tight collar clicked and chimed merrily in his ears. Martel came up beside him and reached out a hand to gently pluck at Rhett’s exposed nipples. Rhett jerked but his wrists were shackled tight. His hips bucked as Janos played with his slit. A hand slapped his inner thighs hard. Once, and then a second time. Rhett yelped.

“Keep your hips still pet.” Martel warned again before taking Rhett’s earlobe into his mouth and sucking on it.

“Fuck.” Rhett groaned, a shudder running through him. His cock leapt in Janos’s grip and it wasn’t long before he was once again skating the edge of orgasm, his body taught as a bow string. 

“Close.” He managed to call out. Janos stopped again and gave him a few minutes to calm down from his orgasm. 

“Good boy. Very good. Again.” Rhett had no idea how long they edged him. Just when he thought he would get to cum they would both pull away. He considered just not speaking, but he opened his eyes to see the glowing reds of Martel’s inches away and it felt as though the general was staring directly into his core. He was ashamed by his fear of this man but couldn’t bring himself to do something that he knew would get him punished. Janos was working him over for what might have been the tenth time though in truth, Rhett had completely lost count long ago. His chest was heaving and he was soaked with sweat. His legs and welts were starting to ache badly and he was having real trouble concentrating on anything. As he approached orgasm, heat coiling tight in his gut, Rhett nearly sobbed. His balls felt so incredibly swollen. They ached worse than his injuries. 

“Are you close pet?” Janos crooned. Rhett bit his lip until he tasted blood, his split lip reopening. He nodded.

“Cum pet.” Martel purred. The command took him by complete surprise. Martel’s hand clamped over his mouth just as Janos took the head of his ridged cock between his lips and sucked.

The scream Rhett let out probably would have near deafened them with if it hadn’t been for the hand. His body convulsed as he was finally able to have his release. Hips rocking, toes curling, Rhett saw stars as his balls emptied for the first time in hours. He was only distantly aware of a voice in his ear, whispering to him. Words like pet and slave were said over and over. When Janos drew away, licking his lips, Rhett sagged. The two incubi worked quickly to release him from the shackles. Rhett didn’t even notice. He did notice when his legs were stretched. The tight decorative collar was taken off his neck and put aside.

He let a weak moan of pain. Martel scooped him up and took him over to a couch. Janos went and got a wash cloth. Rhett was too exhausted to move or process much of the outer world but he did notice as they gently cleaned him. When he was strong enough to sit up, Martel held a cup up for him to drink. There was another knock and Martel went to retrieve another tray. There were no windows in these chambers and the idea that he had been strapped there long enough for lunch to be served shocked him. Rhett groaned miserably. Janos watched him like a hawk. His gaze looked almost gentle. 

“We are happy with how you are going.” Janos said as Martel came over with the food. He laid the platter down and passed Janos a small piece of bread topped with cheese and cucumber. Janos fed it to Rhett. He hadn’t realised how hungry he had gotten from the constant denial and arousal. The two generals fed him bites of food, eating themselves as they did. At the end of the meal, Rhett was allowed to use the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face, trying to calm down. 

He hesitated when he saw the padded bench again as they re-entered the room but a gentle push towards it told him that’s where they wanted him to go. Starting to tremble, he crawled back up and resumed the presentation position. The tight collar was put back on, the rose oil was applied to his skin and Martel took Rhett’s cock in hand. The two generals played with him for hours just as they had before, taking turns to work him. His cock was stroked with skilled fingers. The strong smell of the roses was constant. The soft jangle of the little chains filled his ears every time he shifted. Every now and again Janos would unstrap his ankles so he could stretch his legs, even rubbing his calves until he patiently guided them back into their bindings. His thighs and ass were red. He had bucked his hips more than once which always earnt a few slaps.

His mind was on nothing but sex. He wanted desperately for relief and orgasm. Sometimes Janos went slow, leisurely stroking. Sometimes he went fast, pumping the angry red cock until Rhett begged. It didn’t make a difference though. Martel had already told him it wouldn’t but he had tried anyway. He thought he was going insane. He needed to cum so badly. Then, just when he thought he would cry from the frustration of it all, Janos stopped completely.

“Good boy, you’ve done so well. Breathe.” Martel began to undo the straps. Unlike the morning session, they did not allow him to cum. Rhett’s urge to grab his own cock and was almost overwhelming. Martel seemed aware of this and he held Rhett’s wrists for several long moments, ensuring that he wouldn’t try to touch himself. When the need had subsided to a manageable level he was allowed to climb down. He nearly fell. The chained collar was again removed. To his surprise the man led him over to a thick pillow and told him to sit however he liked to stretch his legs.

Another knock, another meal and just as before, both men insisted on feeding Rhett. He was too exhausted to put up any kind of complaint. When the meal was over, he was allowed another bath. Supervised, of course. Janos got into the water with him. If he hadn’t been so completely exhausted, he probably would have been worried. Over the day he had learnt a little of his captor’s personalities. Janos appeared more light hearted. He smiled often and praised Rhett every time he had hit the edge. He wasn’t sure but Rhett thought the shorter general was younger than Martel or perhaps that was just the calm menacing aura Martel always gave off. He was ruthless and smiled only rarely. Where Janos was gentle, Martel was firm. Rhett had several bruises on his shoulders and neck from Martel’s fingers and lips. The sight of them in the bathroom mirror made him shiver. 

Before they put him back in the cage, Janos rubbed a cream into the welts. Rhett was grateful. The cool cream helped ease the dull aching in the wounds. Finally, he taken back to the cage and the black sheet was put back over the top. 

“Sleep well pet.” Martel murmured. Rhett shifted down into the warm pile of blankets and turned over. He was asleep the second he closed his eyes.

\--

The days that followed were much of the same. They would take him from the cage, bind him to the padded bench and edge him. There was always the snap of Martel’s fingers, the scent of the oil and clicking of the chained collar. Sometimes at the end of the session, he would be allowed to cum. 

Most of the time he wasn’t. He wasn’t in control of his own body any more. 

Already the conditioning was starting to have the affect his masters wanted. The snap of fingers made Rhett’s dick jump. It took less and less time for him to get an erection the second he was in his presentation position. His control over his orgasms had also improved. He could go a little longer and get a little closer to the edge without having to stop. Their command over him was absolute. He was never left on his own, not for a second. His shackles were a constant companion and his cage was always locked at night.  
Since that first day, he hadn’t tried to fight them. His welts were healing well but Martel’s swift fury still made him weary. As much as he detested it, there wasn’t anything Rhett could do at present. He couldn’t fight them both, especially without his ability to shift. His regular collar was metal and the shift would inevitably cause the collar to choke him. All he could do was get through this ‘conditioning’ as fast as possible. Hopefully, once they considered him tame enough, they would relax on some of the security and he could find a way to escape

Rhett looking up and froze as Martel’s red eyes looked back. On more than one occasion he had wondered if the man could read his mind. 

“I think that’s enough time for our break.” He said smoothly. Rhett reluctant stood up from the couch he had been sitting on. In truth his cock was still half hard from the last round of denial but he knew he wouldn’t get any extra time. Martel pointed to the bench and snapped his fingers.

“Up.” He ordered. Rhett’s cock twitched and began to fill the rest of the way. He climbed into position. Martel locked his wrist cuffs to the bench but left Rhett’s legs unbound.

“Show us your control pet. If you struggle to much, we will shackle them again.” He said as Janos clipped the chain collar around Rhett’s throat. Rhett’s eyes went wide as Janos bent down and took Rhett’s cock into his mouth. He let out a loud guttural groan.

“That’s… that feels...” Rhett moaned.

“He has a wonderful mouth. Don’t worry, that is a skill you will soon learn. Tell us when your close pet.” Martel whispered into his ear. Rhett gave a weak nod. Janos was definitely talented. He licked and sucked, taking him all the way to the base and swallowing. Rhett’s thighs trembled. He wanted to thrust into the warm wet mouth but he didn’t dare. He didn’t want to lose the little freedom he had but gods, was it difficult. Janos’s mouth felt so good on his tender over sensitised cock. In very little time Rhett shouted a warming and Janos pulled off. They waited until Rhett calmed a little and his breathing evened out.

“Good boy. Again.” Rhett groaned miserably. 

It was going to be another long day. 

Rhett was desperately relived when they ended the afternoon session a little early. Apparently, Martel had a meeting he was expected to attend. In truth, Rhett had been close to sobbing. When the general had informed him that he wouldn’t be permitted an orgasm until he got back, the noise that had accidentally escaped Rhett’s throat was like that of a wounded animal. All he could think about was sex and how desperately he wanted to cum. He didn’t think his cock would ever go soft again even as the collar was removed from him.

Janos soothed him and taking him off to have another cool bath. Rhett was limp in Janos’s lap as the incubus gently combed out his wet hair. He couldn’t have moved if he wanted to. At last, his erection was starting to wilt. He wanted to ask when this would be over but he was also afraid of the answer. Janos let him soak in the bath for a long time before they climbed out. 

“These are looking good.” Janos purred, gently applying the cream to the faded cane marks. Rhett just glared at the floor.

“Don’t look so angry pet. We needed to ensure you would take us seriously, understand us properly. Now you know we mean our word.” Janos said in a tone similar to one a person would use to explain the basic to a particularly slow child. Rhett did look up then, only just managing to hold back the wolf.

“I’m not interested in hearing why you beat me.” He growled. Janos just smiled.

“Good to know that you still have some bite.” He beamed. Rhett did let his eyes go gold then. He ached to let his teeth sharpen too.

“The both of you can’t watch me always. I can wait until then.” He said.

“That, boy, sounds like a threat.” Martel’s voice made him jump. Rhett turned to see the general re-entering the chamber, discarding his cloak and trimmed jacket as he came closer. The hair of Rhett’s arms stood up.

“It did rather.” Janos agreed.

“Are you going to hit me again?” Rhett ground out. He wanted to think he could take it but standing there, naked and shackled, he knew there wasn’t much if anything he could do. The thought made him feel sick. 

“There are other ways to discipline a disobedient slave.” Martel said. Janos took hold of Rhett’s chain and pulled him towards the padded bench. Rhett eyed it, apprehension pooling in his muscles. They had done a lot with him in the last few days but they had yet to touch his ass. He knew they would eventually but the thought that they would try tonight made him nervous. He didn’t have to be told to climb up and when his ankles were shackled, his nervousness doubled. His breathe quickened as he looked from one incubus to the other.

“I think it’s time you fulfilled your other purpose.” Martel said, pulling off the crisp white undershirt.

“Which is?” Rhett asked, voice cracking.

“You already know what it is. We are going to feed from you.” 

The reaction was not one either general expected. 

“No!” Rhett shouted, he leant back away from Janos, pulling hard on the straps that held him, his eyes wide. Martel and Janos exchanged a look.

“You would allow me to stroke your cock without compliant but you won’t offer yourself for my bite? I assure you; it doesn’t hurt pet.” Janos asked, his expression curious.

“I know that! I don’t care! Your venom is addictive. I don’t want that.” Rhett shouted; panic etched into his face and voice. The straps were really cutting into him now and his eyes were flashing from brown to gold and back again. He was losing control. 

“You knew we would feed from you. I told you as much when you first arrived here.” Martel said steadily. The boy’s chest was heaving. His eyes were wide and dilating with horror. 

“Cut my wrist open, I don’t care. Just please, don’t bite me!” The boy was in danger of doing damage to himself as he thrashed in his bounds. 

“Cutting you would do more damage and potentially scar you.” Janos said reasonably. The boy shook his head.

“I don’t care!” The wrists cuffs were starting to slice into his wrists and the scent of blood was leaking into the air. Martel unhooked the cane and brought it down hard on the side of the bench with a near deafening thwack. The sound cut through the shifter’s panic and Rhett froze, still panting, still afraid. 

“Unchain him Janos, before he breaks something.” Martel growled. His partner worked with practiced hands and quickly had the boy down from the bench. Far from being relieved Rhett tried to run, seeming to forget that he had no to run to. They had never encountered a human so against the bite before. There were many who volunteered for the pleasure of it. 

They watched as Rhett stumbled away on numb legs. He looked around wildly. He shouted in panic as Janos grabbed the dangling wrist chain and started to easily drag the struggling human over to the bed.

“It really isn’t that bad pet.” Janos said, baffled.

“No! Please, cut my arm, my neck, I don’t care! I don’t want to be bitten!”

“Remember what I said. We will never bend to you. It doesn’t matter what you want.” Martel said, following. He crawled onto the mattress after the thrashing human and his lover.

“No!” The boy was still fighting, his nails lengthening to claws. His eyes were now set in the gorgeous gold hue. What was not quite so good was the sharp teeth the boy was now growing. The incubi pounced, pinning him down. He continued yell and fight even as they wrestled him onto his stomach.

“Go.” Martel was the stronger of the two and pinned the claw hands down as Janos straddled the boy’s hips. Janos grabbed a handful of the boy’s hair and turned his head to the side. Without wasting more than a moment, he leant over and sunk long canines into the exposed neck. 

Rhett screamed but the two men were far heavier and stronger them him and he couldn’t throw them off. Tears leaked out the corners of his eyes as the fangs cut. There was a sharp flash of pain before something hot hit his blood stream. Gasping, tears streaming down, Rhett went limp. 

He hadn’t known what to expect. He had seen the results of a feeding, seen the blissed out, slightly stoned features of a blood slave. The pain was gone. Not just in his neck either but in his aching limbs and welts. Everything was becoming a little fuzzy around the edges. He felt warm and sluggish, almost drunk. Martel had let go of him and Janos rolled, pulling Rhett into his lap. The movement jostled the bite and Rhett groaned as pleasure pooled warm and prickling in his belly and groin. 

“That’s it.” Martel gently turned the boy’s head, giving Janos more room to feed. The scent of the boy’s blood made him salivate. Shifters always tasted better than the mundane human population. The boy was calming down, taken in by the venom’s affects. Deciding to encourage him further under, Martel reached out to stroke the growing erection of their pet. Rhett gasped, his back aching. 

His eyes fluttered closed and his toes curled. Martel had a firm oiled grip around his hard length, stroking him. After a day of being denied it didn’t take long for Rhett to be right at the edge again. Unlike all the times before, the incubus didn’t stop stroking. He swiped his thumb over the head, smearing the precum that bubbled there. The boy’s hips bucked helplessly, completely lost to sensation. Three more slow hard strokes and a command given and Rhett gasped loudly, his back bowing. Thick hot cum splattered across Martel’s hand and the boy’s stomach. Martel milked him until he collapsed, his eyes closing and his breathes evening out.  
Janos pulled back; his own pupils dilated.

“He tastes so good.” He growled. Martel grabbed his chin and ate at his mouth, licking up the remnants of the boy’s blood.

“We will train him to take us both.” 

“He’ll be the perfect little pet.” Janos agreed. They both looked down at the sleeping boy, red eyes glowing in the low light.

\--

END

\--


	6. Memories

\--

Chapter Six

Memories

\--

Rhett didn’t entirely remember where he was at first. The world was quiet and he was warm in his bed. Or was it his bed? Rhett opened his eyes. He saw the bars, saw the tiles and remembered with a jolt where he was. His hand reached up to touch his neck. The puncture wounds had already faded. Instead of painful scabs, he felt only mild bumps as though they were already weeks old. He shivered; his eyes wide. The reason for his sudden wakefulness was the shadow of Martel. The general leant over.

“Wrists.” He ordered. Rhett sat up and held his hand out through the bars automatically. They were shaking slightly. He still felt dazed as he was led first to the bathroom to relieve his bladder and then to the damn bench. 

“Up.” It was Martel that strapped him into the padded shackles. Rhett just sat on the bench with his legs tucked and his shoulders hunched. He didn’t want to think about the night before, didn’t want to think about how he hadn’t been able to do anything to stop then. He squeezed his eyes shut. It occurred to him that they would probably beat him for the fight he had given then last night.

“Look at me.” Martel order. Not wanting to be hit again, he reluctantly looked up. The man’s face didn’t look angry or even quite as stony as usual. A hand came up to gently run through Rhett’s hair. 

“We are not angry about your struggles last night. It was an instinctive reaction. Rest assured; we will not feed from you again until tomorrow night.” Rhett stared at him nervously. Martel leant forward and for one frightening moment, Rhett thought the incubus would bite him anyway. Instead cool lips brushed his own. The kiss was gentle and slow. He didn’t pull away and was rewarded by those hands slowly stroking through his hair. He shivered and relaxed just a little. 

“Good boy. Janos has a meeting to attend this morning so I will be feeding you.” Martel left his side for a moment and came back with a plate of food. Rhett watched hungrily as the man slowly cut the fluffy omelette into small pieces. Cheese oozed from the sides. Rhett’s mouth watered. 

Martel fed him small bite, punctuated by kisses and nips from the sharp teeth. The food was delicious. It was broken up by sips of rich coffee and cool water. When he was full Martel put the plate on the table and brought over a bowl. The smell of rose oil filled the air and Rhett instantly became nervous again. He opened his mouth, saw the warning look from the incubus and closed it again. 

“It is unusual for humans to be so against our bite. Some even seek us out.” Martel said thoughtfully. Rhett didn’t meet his eye. 

“I’m not the usual.” Rhett said with as much restraint as he could manage. 

“That much is obvious. I take it you have seen feeding in the past?” 

“Yes.” Rhett didn’t like where this was going.

“Tell me about it.” The general said, pulling over a chair and sitting down, crossing one long leg over the other. 

“Why? What difference does it make? I don’t get a say in the feedings.” Rhett blurted out. Martel raised a dark eyebrow.

“Correct, you do not. However, your refusal to tell me will be seen as disobeying an order and I will have to punish you accordingly.”

“You mean your choosing to punish me. You’re a general of the Incubus empire. You don’t have to do anything.” Rhett said, his voice sounding tired even to his own ears. Martel actually smiled. He reached forward and brushed back a lock of hair from the shifter’s face.

“You are incorrect there. You must always trust that we will keep our word. You must also trust that any and all actions have consequences. So, again and for the last time, tell me about your experience with feeders.” Martel said. Rhett met those blood red eyes for a long uncomfortable moment before his shoulders sagged and he dropped his gaze.

“My mother became a blood slave.” He said bitterly.

“Willingly.” He added.

“Was she a shifter herself?” The general asked. Rhett shook his head.

“No.” 

“How did she come to her station?” Rhett tried not to snort. Station. Like it was some important rank.

“My mother was an addict. My father was a useless piece of shit. He drank until his liver gave out. I wasn’t even five years old at the time. Even back then I couldn’t bring myself to care. That just left my mother and I. She barely tried, barely functioned. She sold everything we had. Then she sold things that weren’t hers. She would have sold me too if she could. When the empire took over and incubi asked for volunteers I didn’t even bother to come home. I knew she would have volunteered herself as a feeder and her son as a shifter. She had no shame. I saw her once at one of the feeding clinics. Her clothes were new, her hair was done up. Like a pig in a dress. She was so fucking wasted on venom she didn’t even recognise me.” Rhett wasn’t aware when his visioned lost colour. 

He distantly heard the leather creaking as his clenched muscles strained in the restraints. Even the memory of that day, of seeing her sagged in the chair, of his own dumbstruck face reflected in the glass window. He hated that woman so much.

“You don’t wish to be like her in any way.” The general surmised. Rhett made a noise somewhere between a growl and a snort.

“You could say that.” He said. It was more than that though. Both of his parents had been addicts in some way or another. What if Rhett was genetically fixed to be the same? He had purposely stayed away from drugs, had rarely drank. The thought that he could become addicted and forget who or what he was terrified him. 

“Venom addictions is a real thing. Don’t try to tell me it’s not.” Rhett rasped. Martel nodded.

“We haven’t lied to you so far. It is a real thing. It can happen to those who are used for repeat feedings. It is, however, something we can control. The amount of venom injected can be measured.” The man said, regarding him. Rhett shuddered and tried to curl in on himself. If he had his tail, it would have coiled low. 

“What you don’t yet comprehend is that your role is to be a feeder among other things. Whilst you may come to crave our bite, we don’t see this as a downside. You will only ever be bound to us so your desire to be by our sides is not considered an issue.” 

Your body is not your own. It was a phrase he had heard so many times in the last few days.

“I’ll kill myself before I become like them.” He croaked; his throat tight. He didn’t want this painful wash of memories. He remembered being to small to reach the cabinets. Feeling hungry and wandering around their shitty little apartment, desperate for anything edible. He’d eaten the dry oatmeal straight from the box. He had climbed onto the counter to drink directly from the faucet when there were no dishes in the house. 

The smell. 

The rubbish bin flowing onto the floor in a stinking mess of old pizza boxes, soiled paper towel and sour sick. Partially drunk bottles staining the carpet where they had lain beside the old brown couch.

Being itchy from the bedbug invested mattress his mother had gotten second, second hand. Her ‘friends’ coming over nearly every night and keeping Rhett awake with raucous shouting. A figure appearing in his bedroom doorway, swaying drunkenly in the eerie hallway light. A hand reaching down to touch him and Rhett, Rhett finally awakening his ability to shift and sinking his teeth into that hand. 

Rhett started violently when Martel reached out to grip his shoulder. His own canines had dropped and his vision was losing part of the human colour spectrum. He growled at the incubus, his hair standing up along his arms. 

“Your drifting in memories.” The man murmured with surprising calm given the wolf that was snarling in front of him. Rhett took several ragged breathes, reigning in some control.

“I won’t be like them.” Rhett breathed out again. Martel eyed for a long moment.

“I doubt you are anything like them even before they became what they were.” The general said. Rhett shivered. 

“Come.” He looked down in surprise as Martel unstrapped him and helped him down from the bench. He followed the general to one of the long couches. Martel lounged back, his blood red eyes fixed on him.

“Sit, lay back against me.” Rhett hesitated before doing as he was instructed. His muscles were ridged with tension. This felt odd to lie back against the older man. His could feel the hard muscle even through the fabric of Martel’s uniform. He shivered as Martel hooked his legs and spread them.

“Relax.” He murmured. Rhett actually managed a laugh.

“Your joking.” He rasped. A strong clawed hand slid around Rhett’s throat. Rhett froze, his breathes catching.

“No, I’m not. Despite all your fire, don’t think I haven’t been noticing your ticks. Mentally you may hate us but physically…” Martel’s other hand slide around the boy’s already hard cock. He wasn’t strapped down to the bench anymore but he may as well have been. Chest heaving, Rhett panted against the iron hold the demon had on him. He was all to aware that Martel could snap his neck with a flex of those long fingers. 

“Let’s continue your denial training, shall we?” Martel hummed, his hand hot and slick around Rhett’s erection.

“I…” it was the only word he could get out before the incubus bent forward and kissed him, thumb and forefinger forcing Rhett’s chin up to accept those sharp teeth and bruising lips. Rhett shivered. It took even less time then usual for him to start climbing towards his peak. His balls drew up and his stomach quivered, heat pooling. He was slightly dizzy when Martel finally drew back, smirking down at him.

“Close.” Rhett forced out. That smirk got wider.

“Good boy. Let’s see just how long we can hold you there.” 

\--

Janos sat, trying not to fidget. He would rather be back in his quarters, sharing the gorgeous pup with his lover. These meetings were becoming depressingly frequent. Oh, he knew why. Just as he knew that if they could not push back on their boarders soon the king would demand a more daring solution. Rhett wasn’t ready yet. The boy had barely begun his retraining. 

“How many did we lose?” General Remus asked. The incubus was older than Janos but younger than Martel. Gruff but alert, the black hair man was the general of section four. General Camilla did not look up from her notes. Her thin wrath like frame was ridged with repressed anger and irritation. General over section eight, this was her first time dealing with such heavy losses. 

“Twelve.” She ground out. Remus lost his eyebrows into his low black fringe. 

“This changes things.” General Vita muttered.

“No, it doesn’t.” Janos sighed. Several pairs of eyes met his from around the massive mahogany table. 

“The plan needs to proceed as normal. The humans can’t have any idea just how close they are to danger.” He said. Remus shook his head.

“It’s hardly up to us. To lose twelve soldiers in one raid alone... These were not unequipped fledglings. What does the king say?” He asked, scratching at the dusting of stubble along his rough jawline.

“We don’t have any choice. We have to wait for reinforcements. The king has given the order for the troops to return and baluster the west boundary. We have to hold the line until he returns with them.” Camilla growled. Murmurs went up around the table. Janos fought the urge to sigh again.

It was the shit every day. They had their instructions. Why they continued to call these meetings to go over the same information was beyond him. He knew they needed to stay up to date with just how close their enemies were getting but surely that could be done through a fucking memo. 

He was anxious to get back to his quarters. Only the king, Martel and himself were aware of the plan to involve the wolf shifter. It would take great deal of molding and good timing. Time, that he was all to aware, was running out. 

\--

Rhett lay on the massive bed, his brain somewhere between sleep and awake. He wasn’t even sure what day it was. Most of the days ran together. He thought, simply by how many times he had eaten meals that he had been in this place for a little over a week.

He had long since come to understand that the two incubi were conditioning him not just to sex but to them. The smell of the rose oil, the jangle of the chains, the hair pulling, their bite, all were designed to insight an unconscious reaction in him. They were training his body to do what they wanted. Despite his own wishes, when the two men entered the room, his cock hardened. The sight of their fangs made him shiver and the snap of their fingers make him weak in the knees. 

They were particularly careful with their words too. They rarely used his given name. After working him up and denying him until the verge of tears they would finally allow him his orgasm. Sometimes. When he did, they would whisper to him. Words like pet, slave and pup were murmured into his dazed brain as he came down from the high.

Rhett thought he would go insane. He almost thought that surely prison would have been a better option then this. This was madness. Another part of his training was that the incubi never allowed Rhett a single moment of free movement. He was either hobbled, cuffed, caged or dosed. He hadn’t taken a normal walk around the bedroom since he had arrived. Thoughts of escaping were so far overwhelming as nothing came to mind as he lay, heavily dosed, weakened and chained to the bedframe. They controlled everything about him, including how he moved. He bit his lip as he looked down at his arms. His wrists had faded fang marks. Janos loved to feed from his wrist. And his groin. Martel almost always took his throat. 

Oddly, Martel had kept his word. Whilst they fed from him every second day or so and the venom made him fly, they never dosed him enough to knock him out or take away his awareness. It was a small blessing. 

He didn’t even have any freedom at mealtimes. The food was always especially good. There was always something different on offer but Rhett had never been allowed to eat it himself. No. food came through his masters. He could pick what he wanted but they fed him. They comforted him. They chose to give him release. 

Another part of his training that he secretly enjoyed was the aftercare. However long his training sessions went for, they always ended with a hot bath. One or both of his masters would wash him, massage out his sore muscles, comb his hair and put him to bed. Not that he would ever admit how much he enjoyed this out loud.

How long were they going to keep him? Surely, they would grow bored of him eventually. What exactly was their end goal for him? The sound of boots from the hallway made him lift his head. They were back already. As the door opened and scent of their cologne hit him, his dick grew heavy against his thigh, hardening. He cursed under his breathe. He rolled away from them, curling into a ball in a pathetic effort to protect himself. The chain clinked merrily. 

“Did you miss us pet?” Janos cooed, running his fingers down Rhett’s spine. 

“Like a migraine.” Rhett ground out. Martel chuckled.

“We have a new training schedule for you to start today.” Rhett looked up at them both with a heavy feeling of foreboding. 

“What kind of training, masters?” He asked, using the last word more like a barb. For his tone, Martel gave his ear a rather painfully hard bite. He tried not to react which only made Martel’s smirk wider.

“Martel and I have particular tastes. Now that you understand the basics, its time you learnt exactly what we like. We will start slow just like before.” Janos purred, taking his wrist chains. To Rhett’s surprise, he was led not to the padded bench but to the second alcove which boasted a particularly large and deep couch decorated with pillows of red, white and warm brown. Martel sat down, legs spread and eyes fixed on him. Rhett swallowed nervously but couldn’t resist saying

“Chaining me up and giving me blue balls for a week is starting slowly?” Janos laughed. Shoved hard, Rhett was sent tumbling into Martel’s lap. The general turned Rhett around so his back was against the incubus’s chest.

“Spread your legs wide. Hook them over mine and relax.” Martel murmured into his ear. The jangle of those little chains made Rhett gasp. Janos fixed his slave collar on him and retrieved the ever-present rose oil. Just the smell of it and the feel of Martel against him had Rhett fully hard in seconds. He obeyed, feeling how incredibly exposed he was. Janos grabbed a pillow and knelt on it between Rhett’s legs. The first touch to his cock made him suck in a breath.

“As you may have already guessed, we enjoy controlling every aspect of our pets. That includes your air.” Janos purred. Rhett tensed, his head coming up. He suddenly imagined a rope coiling around his neck and choking him.

“Don’t look so alarmed. We aren’t going to hurt you. I promise you’ll like it.” Janos said. Rhett stared at him as though he were bat shit crazy. How the hell could anyone like being suffocated?!

“Let us show you. Put you head back.” Martel whispered into his exposed. Shivering and still tense, Rhett rested back against the larger man. He froze as Martel’s large hand slid around his throat. It wasn’t holy dissimilar to that morning after Rhett’s first feeding. 

“Good boy.” Janos rubbed oil over his palm and took hold of Rhett’s cock. It hadn’t gone soft despite his nervousness. The grip on his throat tightened just a little, just enough for his breathe to catch. Hot, slick and firm, Janos fisted his cock just the way he loved. Rhett shivered, relaxing a little further.

“Here’s what we are going to do. I’m going to squeeze and count down backwards from ten. That’s how long you need to hold your breath.” Rhett swallowed hard. He wasn’t looking forward to this and his ridged muscles reflected it. 

“Ten seconds pet. Good boy. Ten. Nine…” Martel’s grip tightened, even but firm enough to stop Rhett’s breathing. Rhett squeezed his eyes shut. The count wasn’t rapid but its wasn’t slow either. Janos was running his thumb over the slit of Rhett’s sensitive cock head.

“…two. One. Good boy.” Martel purred. He let go and Rhett took in several deep panting breathes. Martel slid his fingers through his curls, petting, soothing, his other hand rubbing over Rhett’s tense belly. 

“Alright?” the man asked. Rhett gave a weak nod. They waited a long while until his breathing was completely back to normal. Surprisingly his cock hadn’t softened a bit. 

“Let’s go again. Head back on my shoulder. I’ll count down from ten. Ten. Nine. Eight…” Rhett shuddered.

They continued this for some time. They always waited until Rhett was calm, breathing normal and body relaxed before they went again. Despite his nervousness, Rhett couldn’t deny that his body was loving the depravation. His head was starting to spin and his balls ached. He felt more sensitive than in any session before. The slightest touch to his cock had him wincing, desperate. His hips wiggled, desperate to buck. He had been trained to keep them still though. Twice Martel’s free hand had gripped his inner thigh in warning. Rhett almost wanted to buck on purpose just to feel the slap, the burn. He wanted more. He wanted to cum. Needed to cum.

“That’s enough for today I think.” Martel said finally. Rhett nearly fell out of his lap.

“No!” He yelped. Janos raised an eyebrow.

“No?” He smirked, showing off one long fang.

“No, please! We can keep going. Please, let me cum.” Rhett begged. He was taught as a bowstring. His engorged cock was leaking an almost constant thin stream of fluid, the scent heady on the air. 

“He has been a good boy.” Janos supposed, a finger on his lips. Martel hummed.

“Perhaps… Get on your knees pup, present.” Rhett didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even think about the humiliation of being commanded to kneel. He just scrambled off the couch onto the cool floor. Knees spread, stiff dick on display, hands behind his back.

“Do you know what I intend to train you to do next?” Martel purred, standing. Rhett could see the massive bulge in the man’s pants. His mouth watered.

“No.” Rhett croaked.

“I intend to train your mouth and ass. I enjoy the thought of tying you up and sliding deep down your throat, cutting off your air as Janos slides into you tight ass. You’ll do nothing but struggle between us as we fuck you from both ends. You’ll come on command, right before you blackout, still swallowing around my cock.” Rhett made a noise that could have been a sob. That should not have made his dick twitch but fuck he wanted that. Rhett felt his asshole clench.

“Please.” He whimpered. 

“Do you want that?” Martel purred. 

“Does the thought of passing out on my cock make you hard? Tell me slave.” That word, slave. Rhett’s dick jumped. 

“Yes.” He whispered. 

“Get the ring gag love.” Martel said, not taking his hooded eyes off his kneeling pet. Janos reappeared a minute later, holding up an O-ring gag with leather straps.

“You will be trained not to bite but at this stage, you haven’t earnt that level of trust. You now have two options. You take the gag, put it on and earn your orgasm or you can stay kneeling until you calm down. Then we’ll bath you and see about ordering dinner.” Rhett stared up at him, his heart racing. He was being given a choice? He could say no. He glanced at the gag, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth. He took it from Janos open hand with shaking fingers. 

“I’ve never…” He rasped. Martel nodded, smiling. The general took it from him. Rhett opened his mouth and Martel eased the gag between his teeth. It forced his jaw uncomfortably wide but his body only got hotter. 

“Cuff his arms.” Martel said, his voice dropping in pitch with arousal. Janos knelt behind Rhett, taking his wrists in a firm warm grip and clipping his wrist cuffs together as Martel unbuckled his trousers. His cock sprung free, hard and long with a slight upward curve to it. He gripped the base and slid his free hand into Rhett’s damp hair. Rhett was already panting, leaning forward, tongue extended.

“Good boy.” Martel purred as he slid the fat tip into Rhett’s mouth. Rhett let loose a weak groan, sagging. The taste of salt and musk filled his senses. He shuddered as Martel gently fucked into his mouth, not going to far. Yet. 

Rhett nearly jumped as Janos slid his hand around Rhett’s pulsing cock. A finger traced over Rhett’s flexing hole. Holy shit. They were going to kill him. He was shaking all over, desperate to come and aching for more contact. That one finger slid over his taint slowing circling, threatening. He tried to beg but Martel only slid further forward, his cock sliding deep. It took Rhett by surprise and he gagged but Martel only pressed further, easing passed his gag reflex and down his throat. Rhett shuddered and began to struggle, suddenly no longer able to take in air. Martel’s pubic hair tickled his nose. 

At that moment Janos plunged that teasing slick finger into his twitching ass, his other hand tightening cruelly around his cock. That long finger slid in and out mercilessly, stretching him and rubbing inside his inner walls, searching cruelly. 

“Cum.” Martel growled. Rhett would have screamed if he had been able. Martel took his head in both hands and forced his thick cock as deep as it would go as Rhett’s entire body convulsed. Thick squirts of cum erupted from his cock and Janos jacked him hard. Thighs quivering, body tensing Rhett make a weak noise around the meat still stuffed down his throat.

Martel pulled back. Rhett coughed and gagged, unable to stop the saliva from dribbling down his chin. Janos removed his finger from Rhett’s twitching hole and wrenched the boy’s head back. Martel’s hand was flying over his own cock. With a loud grunt, thick semen splashed across the bridge of Rhett’s nose and into his open mouth. He whined, completely overwhelmed. Head forced back, the mixture slid over his tongue and he swallowed. 

They were talking to him as his wrists were uncuffed and the gag was eased from his mouth but Rhett wasn’t really able to listen. They guided him towards the massive bath and eased him into the hot water. As he came down from his insane high, he was starting to feel the twinging aches from his restraints. Janos rubbed his wrists.

“Such a good boy.” He was saying. Rhett could only groan. 

\--

END

\--


	7. The Start of a Plan

\--

Chapter Seven  
The Start of a Plan

\--

Rhett was having a lie in, his head resting on his massive paws. Martel always loosened the metal collar on him before leaving him to rest in the cage. The cage was the one place he could shift into his wolf form. He woke early, his ears twitching at the sound of fabric rustling. Martel was getting dressed and leaving. Janos murmured a sleepy fair well to his lover. The door opened and closed.

Rhett closed his eyes. He was still processing the intense scene he had three days ago. He still couldn’t quite believe he had asked for that but then, he reasoned, anyone put through what he had been through for days probably would have made the same decision. Right?

Janos had got up and lifted the black sheet.

“Want to come out or wait until breakfast?” The younger incubus asked, stifling a yawn. The wolf blinked lazily up at him and rolled over. The massive fluffy bed was very comfortable. Janos shrugged and left him to doze. The cage was his space. He had noticed that neither Janos nor Martel had ever reached inside the cage, never touched his bed or blankets. It meant the den had only Rhett’s scent. At the end of the week, the bedding was removed and fresh bedding was placed in. Even the fresh linens didn’t smell of either incubus and Rhett took his time rolling about until they smelt of him again. It was his safe place.

He yawned widely, long canines clicking together. After they had finished that night Martel and Janos had both bathed Rhett down, washing his hair and rubbing out his sore leg muscles. He had blushed scarlet when Janos had fetched him a warm mug of milk and honey.

“It’s good for your throat.” He had said, nudging the cup at him. It had been. He had been almost asleep in the warm water. Martel had to practically carry him back to his bed. It was something Rhett had noticed. Sex was draining but it was a lot more draining with these two. Martel had seemed more energized after his orgasm. He supposed they were incubus after all.

In the last few days, they had continued with oxygen deprivation training. It was only ever Martel who conducted the training with Janos’s help. Perhaps The older general didn’t quite have faith his younger lover wouldn’t get carried away. Rhett had never really given much thought into the kinkier side of sex. He certainly never thought he would be into breath play but he couldn’t deny that it always got him to the edge of orgasm faster than anything else…

It was the smell of the rich coffee that roused him. He shifted, his fur disappearing and his canines flattening out. Janos smiled and opened the cage door. Rhett shivered as the man ran a possessive hand down his bare chest before he adjusted the collar. He had gotten used to being naked all the time. The room was always mildly tempered and the coolness that came at night time was countered by his thick blankets and fur.

“Come on.” Janos tugged on his arm and Rhett followed him to the table. He went to sit down but his master placed a hand on his neck, stopping him.

“No pet. Grab and pillow, then kneel on the floor.” Rhett bit back a sigh. Most meals were fed to him whilst he was on that damn bench so he supposed the floor was an improvement. That made he pause. The idea that he was fine with kneeling on the floor at Janos feet to be fed… he gave a low growl. Jesus fucking Christ, when had he fallen so damn low?

“If that makes you uncomfortable, I am perfectly fine with tying you up.” Rhett started violently. Janos had gone from sitting cheerfully at the massive table, to standing about three inches away in the blink of an eye. When had the man moved!?

“We were hoping to give you a reward this afternoon. I hope this isn’t a step backwards.” Janos purred, his red eyes blazing. He looked more feral and unhinged then Rhett had ever seen him. He swallowed nervously.

“Which pillow would you like me to grab master?” Rhett bit out, not quite able to keep the bitterness out of his tone. The metal collar shifted around his throat, a heavy and ever-present reminder. Janos studied him for a moment.

“Over there, the big red one. Hurry up, your food’s getting cold.” He could feel the burning gaze of the man on his back as he went to retrieve the indicated pillow. He carried it back over and knelt. It took a bit of shifting.

“Oh, how I am looking forward to this week.” Janos preened as he scooped up a piece of rockmelon and dipped it in some yogurt. He fed it to Rhett who stared up at him nervously.

“Why is that master?” He heard himself ask. He wasn’t actually sure he wanted to know. Janos’s smiled turned lecherous.

“Because, pup. Martel has promised me that once your gag reflex is properly trained, we can finally fuck that gorgeous ass of yours.” Rhett nearly choked on his piece of fruit. He was embarrassed by the reaction of his body. His cock was thickening between his legs at the thought. Despite everything they had done with him, they had only ever put a finger or two up his ass. Neither had actually fucked him yet.

“It can be the hardest part of training a new slave really.” Janos said with a dramatic sigh. He leant forward in his chair and took hold of Rhett’s cock, circling the leaking crown with his thumb. He studied Rhett’s face intently as the boy gasped and strained, struggling not to buck.

“It’s always tempting to go straight to the fucking, especially if a slave has a lovely ass like yourself.”

Rhett’s groan weakly as a piece of kiwi fruit was offered to him. He took it submissively as Janos played with the slit of his cock.

“I personally love sounding rods. Do you know what those are slave?” Janos purred, rubbing harder. Rhett moaned, throwing his head back, thighs shaking.

“No master.” He croaked.

“Martel says they’re to advanced but soon, I think. I’ve dreamt about it. I wonder if I could break you with a good sounding session.” The incubus rubbed a piece of strawberry along Rhett’s lower lip. It was a little swollen from Rhett’s biting it.

“Come now pet, you have to eat.” Janos crooned. Rhett was starting to pant. The head of his dick was tingling, along with an ache that travelled to the very root of his cock and into his balls. When he took the strawberry into his mouth, Janos slid his fingers in too. Rhett sucked helplessly, desperately hoping Janos would give him the command and he could cum soon.

“Are you feeding him or fucking with him?” Came Martel’s deep voice as the door opened. Rhett whined as Janos pulled away. He watched intensely as Janos put his own hand to his mouth to lick away the precum Rhett had spilled.

“A little of both. How was the meeting?” Janos said, pulling up a chair for his lover. Martel sat down and took another piece of fruit to offer their kneeling pet. Rhett ate meekly, still achingly hard.

“Dull as usual. That will change soon though. The word is the king will return early next week. We have been scheduled to meet with him next Wednesday.” Martel said. The two generals swapped significant look before glancing at Rhett. They finished breakfast in relative quiet. When they were done Rhett was led over to the bench but he wasn’t strapped in.

“Now then pet, we are going to test if our hard work has paid off.” Martel said. Rhett couldn’t help but snort.

“You’re hard work.” He muttered under his breathe. He yelped at the hard slap to his thigh that followed. He shot a glare at Janos but held his tongue.

“Your going to stroke yourself.” Martel instructed as he brought over the bowl of rose oil and his decorative collar. Rhett frowned.

“What then master?” he asked. Martel smirked.

“That is the test pet. You are going to stroke yourself. Your going to keep masturbating whilst we watch.”

Rhett didn’t understand. He did as he was told though, dipping his fingers into the oil. He took his dick in his hand. He started slow, already beginning to suspect that they would be here for a while.

He wasn’t wrong.

Once again, he found himself loosing track of time. He only measure was the few times the two generals moved from their chairs to either refill their coffee or remind Rhett to stretch his legs. He had needed to recoat his hand in oil several times just to ensure his cock didn’t get too sore.

Rhett felt like he was going insane. His cock was red and swollen from his stroking, the pleasure thick and hot. It was almost to painful to touch but on the two occasions he had attempted to stop, Martel had given him a few taps with the crop. Light ones, not the brutal lashings he had received on his first day but stinging enough to warn him they would get harder.

Chest heaving, his body covered in sweat, he gave an almost sobbing moan. He was right there! His hips twitched. His balls were so tight it was crazy but his body just wouldn’t go over. The generals watched him closely. As he met their eyes it finally dawned on him exactly what this session was about.

He couldn’t orgasm without the command! His eyes widened in horror. He glanced at Martel. The incubus gave a slow smirk. Rhett could feel tears of frustration burnings the corners of his eyes.

“Shall we experiment?” The powerful man stood and came towards him. Rhett shook all over as the general went behind him. A large hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed. Rhett’s whole body jerked, his cock leaping in his hand as his arousal spiked. Air cut off, hand still flying over his cock, Rhett’s vision began to swim. Martel let go fairly quickly and he took in several haggard breathes.

“Please!” He managed to wail.

“Do you understand?” Martel whispered into his ear. Rhett gave a small sob, hips starting to rock despite his best efforts.

“Yes.” He whimpered.

“Who do you belong to?” The incubus purred. Rhett hung his head. The scent of his own precum and the rose oil was incredibly heady.

“You and master Janos.” He responded, defeated.

“Good boy.” They watched him struggle for a few more minutes.

“Stop.” Rhett sagged bodily with relief. He needed to cum so badly that he was swaying on the bench, his hips still grinding. Martel put his hands on his thighs to stop him moving. They weren’t going to give him permission to cum. That realisation alone made him let out another small sob.

“Shh.” Janos helped him off the bench. It was a very long time before he calmed down. His erection was distracting and painful for nearly an hour before it finally started to go soft. Rhett felt particularly fragile and when Martel offered to hold him, Rhett buried his face in the lapel of the man’s uniform.

Lunch was an almost silent affair, Rhett to raw and highly strung to want to ask questions. Small pieces of lamb casserole were fed to him, one spoon at a time. The food was good as always but Rhett wasn’t really able to appreciate at the moment.

“Perhaps a little down time this afternoon.” Martel murmured as he cleared the plates. He went over to a monitor on the far wall and tapped the screen. Rhett’s head came up curiously. He had never really noticed that monitor before. Martel caught him looking and smirked. The sounds of soft piano came through several speakers around the room.

“Would you like to read or would you like a nap?” Janos asked him. Rhett blinked, taken aback. He still felt a little jittery and sore so he looked over at his den and said

“Sleep please.” Janos led him over and loosened the collar. Rhett went gratefully inside and laid down.

“Let us know when you want to come out.” He hadn’t really intended to fall asleep. He had just wanted some time on his own, to calm down and process. He must have fallen asleep though because Janos was calling his name. When he opened his eyes, he thought it must have been much later in the day because the lights had already started to dim.

“Come out pup.” Martel murmured, opening the cage door. Rhett did as he was told nervously.

“We have decided to reward your good behaviour.” Janos said, his grin broad. Rhett was instantly on alert. He stood up a little straighter.

“Reward how?” He asked slowly.

Rhett watched, wide eyed as Martel drew a pistol from his halter.

“What are you…?” Rhett spluttered, suddenly very nervous. What the fuck had he done that warranted a loaded gun!?

“We are taking you out of this room for you to stretch your legs.” Janos was smiling so broadly that both of his canines were showing. Rhett stared, dumbfounded.

“Seriously?” He rasped.

"I want you to understand me so listen carefully. We are going to allow you to shift. You will do so and then allow Janos to muzzle you. If you move, if you growl, if you do anything at all that makes me think you will attack, I will shoot you. This bullet contains a very powerful sedative. It will also cause migraines, nausea and disorientation for many hours after you wake up. It will not be pleasant." Rhett looked from Martel's serious expression to Janos's grinning face.

"You now know our kind of training. In all honesty, I wanted to shoot you first, allow you to feel the effects and understand that I will shoot you again, that we are serious. Janos managed to convince me that you had earnt a reprieve." Janos held up the links of leather and metal that was the large muzzle. The sight of the object made Rhett's insides twist with dread and fear. He took a step back.

"You do want to go outside, don't you pet?" Janos asked. Rhett froze. His mouth opened.

"You... you would actually take me outside?" He rasped. He couldn't believe they would ever allow him such a freedom.

"It’s an enclosure in the heart of the headquarters but it is outside. There is grass and flowers. All you have to do is do as your told." Rhett swallowed hard. He wanted to go outside so badly. His wolf was so desperate for fresh air. He looked again at the muzzle and then at the gun. It was too good to be true.

"I feel like your setting me up to fail." He croaked. The incubi looked him over. Janos reach out a hand and grabbed his shoulder.

"We aren't. Have we ever lied to you?" Rhett bit his lip. No. No, they had always done exactly what they had said they would do.

Slowly, very slowly, he gave a little nod. If nothing else, he could use this chance to finally look at the compound outside this room. It was a start. Janos smiled.

"Good boy. Slowly now." the general took a step back. Martel raised the gun and pointed it, unwaveringly at Rhett chest. It was horribly unnerving to be looking down the barrel of a gun. Martel's stance was utterly still. There was none of his usual relaxed amusement in his features. He was all demon, all killer, no remorse and no pity. Rhett had no doubt in his mind, Martel would shoot him if he tried anything.

Slowly, he bent down onto all fours. He shifted slower than he usually would, hyperaware of the gun training on him. When he was finished, he wanted to shake himself out but he didn't want his movement to be interpreted the wrong way. Janos came closer and squat down beside him. The incubus was moving with surprising care. Rhett was a genuine threat to them in this form. As the massive wolf he could kill them. Janos slid the muzzle over his snout. Rhett flinched. he was so tense. he hated the feeling of the straps over his face. Janos carefully buckled it on and stood up. he was smiling again.

"Good boy." He praised. He looked at him as though he wanted to reach out and stroke the thick fur. He didn't though. Janos went over to the table and collected a chain lead. He didn't really have to bend to attach it to the silver collar.

"Alright. Let's go. Remember pet, Martel will be behind us and he will be watching everything." the general said. Rhett could hardly believe it when the door opened. Janos walked forward, tugging gently on the chain. Rhett walked slowly forward. He couldn't believe he was being allowed out of this room. He rocked to a stop at the doorway, still expecting a trick. When nothing happened, he stepped timidly into the corridor. the air smelt cool and slightly damp as though it had rained not too long ago. The corridor was narrow and curved away down a staircase several metres ahead. Janos went first, Rhett came behind him and Martel followed. they didn't meet anyone as they walked and Rhett had the odd impression that the generals had organised it to be this way. He could smell the scents of people from not long ago, sweat, perfume and canvas. The whole space had the feeling of a place just vacated.

The complex was massive. Each corridor was disturbingly similar to the one before with the exception of the occasional piece of artwork or window. The windows were particularly rare and Rhett thought the design was done specifically to keep people confused. only those travelling these halls every day would probably know their way around. despite his nervousness Rhett couldn't help but speed up as the scents of fresh air reached him. Soon he was pulling on the lead, following his nose without looking around. Janos snorted somewhere beside him. Two more turns and they came to a large iron gate. Janos unlocked the gate and swung it open.

Grass.

Rhett stared at the open space in front of him. It was like a small park, cut out from forest and dumped into this place. It was surrounded on all sides by iron gates and concrete walls that towered up around it. There was long thick grass, neat pale gravel pathways and huge trees. There was even a little man-made creek the ran between two oak trees. Rhett stared, his whole body leaning forward subconsciously, the leather of his muzzle and leash creaking.

"Hang on a moment. I am going to take your muzzle off and let you have a run around but I am warning you pup that if you make any move towards us, I will put a bullet in you. Do you understand?" Rhett forced himself to turn his head and look at Martel and Janos. Both incubi were studying him with predatory interest and he forced himself to still. Very slowly, he nodded his furry head. Janos moved forward and began to buckle the straps. All the while Martel held his pistol at the ready.

The muzzle sliding off his face was like being born again. Before they could reconsider, Rhett launched away from them. His paws hit the fresh grass and he poured on the speed, pelting across the open ground. It felt fantastic to have something natural under his paws again. Earth, wet leaf litter and shredded grass all assaulted his nose as he dove between two trees. He threw himself down, rolling roughly to get the scent off his imprisonment from his coat. Then, covered in dirt and bark, he shook violently before racing off again. Around and around but never coming anywhere near to two waiting incubus. He didn't want to give them a chance to recapture him. He knew this new freedom was an illusion. Soon they would want to him to come back to that room. His ears flattened at the thought and he made for the other end of the little park.

"Oh pup. We have an extra surprise for you." Janos said excitedly. The wolf skittered to a stop. it turned to look at him but didn't come any closer.

Good. It would make for a better test.

Rhett turned his massive head from one to the other, his ears flicking backwards and forward. Martel had walked away to the iron gate and was returning, holding something. The wind pressed down into the enclosure and for one brief moment he thought he could smell...

"This is for you pet." Martel purred as he came over with a crate. He set the crate down, opened the door and a large brown and grey hare shot from the depths. Rhett didn't even have to time to process the movement before his instincts kicked in hard.

The two incubus watched, fascinated as the huge wolf launched itself towards the fleeing mammal. The enclosure was rather big with plenty of trees, shrubs and rocks. It could very well dive into the big tangle of roots and escape if the wolf did not act quickly enough.

Huge paw pads were surprisingly nimble of the wet slick grass, copying the flying change as the hare abruptly jinxed to the left. The canine was closing the distance fast. Jaws snapped on empty air as the hare darted back to the right, accelerating. The wolf was after it in a flash, twisting around mid-stride. The soft squeal and resolute crunch that followed told of Rhett's successful hunt.

The hare dangled in the jaws of the wolf as it came striding back towards them, still growling. it laid down and began to rip into the belly of the hare without giving the incubi a second thought. Janos and Martel shared a knowing look. the beast had good fast instincts. There was no hesitation in the kill, no slip in step. His human side had not dulled the beast's wits like so many others the empire had tested. He was exactly what they needed. The two men waited the relatively short time it took for the hare to be devoured.

Rhett lay there for a long while, licking his fore paws of any blood. His belly full, the beast side of his brain was relaxing back into hibernation once more. The cool scent of the night air was refreshing. Finally, he stood and gave himself another hard shake. He padded over to the little creek and drank the water that trickled by his feet. He lapped at it slowly, letting the cold water tickle his nose. He began to sniff about, scenting old trails left behind by other people, birds and the occasional small mammal.

"Enjoying yourself?" Martel asked, interrupting the wandering canine. The wolf looked over at him, its muscle still and poised.

There was a sudden tense electric silence. The huge wolf and the demons stared each other down. The wolf's gold eyes flicked to the gun in Martel's hand then back to the man's face. The beast was sizing them up, judging the distance between them and just how fast Martel could aim the weapon. Martel was completely calm. Only a slight twice in Janos's fingers told that the younger general was not quite as composed or perhaps, not quite as experienced. That may be why it was only the older general that held the fire arm.

"Come here pup." Martel's voice was low and amorous, his stance at ease. Slowly, paw by paw as though on a tight rope, the beast came towards them. It was still deciding, still judging its chances. its jaws were large enough to tear through an exposed throat, the mass heavy enough to topple one of them even as grown men. Martel raised the pistol and the wolf froze, one paw delicately raised.

"Head down pet, Janos is going to muzzle you." No growling but those gold eyes rimmed black were utterly unblinking. Janos came towards him. At that moment Rhett had a faint impression that this particularly lesson was just as much for Janos as it was for him. Martel was trying to teach Janos something here, in this interaction with the shifter. Rhett looked at the finger that was so carefully resting on the trigger. The demon would shoot. Could he get his teeth around Janos's neck first? Could he...?

The leather straps slipped around his neck. Muscles tense, eyes locked, the wolf stayed unnaturally still as the younger incubus settled the muzzle back into place. When the final buckle was latched the tension seemed to break. Rhett gave himself a shake, huffing. Janos stood back up, his eyes a little wide as his lover came over to join them.

"He would have killed me if you had not been here." Janos murmured in a low voice. He didn't sound angry, more like awed. Martel gave a small nod. With his free hand he ran his fingers through the thick pale grey fur. Rhett gave a low growl but pressed into the scratching fingers.

"Yes. I have no doubt he would have tried."

“He's perfect." Janos said in an attitude of reverence as he dropped down and threw his arms around the beast’s neck. He couldn't quite reach all the way around but laughed into the thick fur as the wolf gave another irritated growl. Rhett wasn't entirely sure what was happening. He had the distinct suspicion that they had been testing him. What for he didn't have the faintest clue.

They allowed him a little more free time to pad about with the muzzle on. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as much fun with the contraption on and it was getting very late. The stars were glinting high in the night sky over their piece of wildlife. After a while, Martel snapped his fingers, a sound that now always ripped Rhett’s attention back to the older man.

“Come pet. It’s time for bed.” Slowly and reluctantly, he came over and allowed Janos to fit the leash to him. They made their way back to their quarters. They met no one on their way back through the winding corridors. Their chambers smelt as it always did, of blood, sex, jasmine and the scent that was so distinctly Martel and Janos. Rhett shivered and allowed himself to be guided back over to his cage. Martel took off the muzzle and scratched his ear again.

“Get some sleep pup. We have big plans for you.” He purred. Rhett chuffed and curled up in his dog bed, his eyes drooping as the black sheet was pulled over to block out the light.

\--

END

\--


	8. War Tactics

\--

Chapter Eight  
War Tactics

\--

Rhett woke in the early hours of the morning to the sound of voices. He recognised Martel’s deep tone but didn’t recognise the voice that answered him. Blinking away sleep, he stood in his cage, shaking himself out. At his movement the conversation cut off abruptly.

“This isn’t the place.”

“Forgive me general but this urgent!” The second voice rasped, trying to speak quickly and quietly. Rhett’s ears flicked forward. 

“Then I will come with you. Janos, look after our wolf.” The incubus said. There was the clack of a latch and the sound of receding footsteps. The wolf turned its massive head as the sheet was pulled away from the door. Janos unlocked the cage as Rhett shifted back into human form.

“All is not well in paradise?” Rhett asked drily. Janos gave a snort but he looked annoyed.

“Perhaps a little more then usual.” He answered cryptically. 

“So, did you really give me a hare to hunt last night for bring a good boy or are you going to tell me your altera motive?” Ryan wasn’t looking at Janos as he spoke. He had been sniffing hopefully in the direction of the huge table. 

He gasped when a clawed hand coiled around his throat. Janos walked him back until he connected with the wall. His body reacted just as it had been trained, his cock hardened between his legs as he stared wide eyed up at his master.

“You will be filled in when we think you are ready.” Janos purred. Rhett gulped, feeling the hand squeeze ever so gently. 

“So, there was a motive?” He croaked. Janos snorted. He leant down and kissed him. Rhett shivered, relaxing. Neither incubus kissed him to often which was a shame because he liked it. Not that he would ever tell them that…

“Feel as smug as you like. We will need to feed tonight.” Janos said, smirking. He no doubt felt the cock jump against his thigh. Rhett shivered heavily. Martel had kept his word in that he never over dosed Rhett but their bite always left him flying and insanely hard. Gods, he hoped they would let him cum. 

Janos stepped away from him when there was a knock on the door. Rhett grabbed a pillow and sat on it by Janos’s chair. His master beamed at him and ran a hand through his curls.

“Such a gorgeous pet.” Janos murmured, setting the breakfast tray down. Breakfast was another quiet but intimate affair. Janos fed him very slowly, piece by piece, running a thumb over Rhett’s sensitive bottom lip. He paused to kiss, nip and suck at Rhett’s lips, jaw and throat. Rhett just took it all, to overwhelmed and desperate for the contact to try and stop him. 

After breakfast Rhett was allowed to use the bathroom. He was already buzzing. The sensual breakfast hadn’t helped and his erection hadn’t softened at all in nearly an hour. He knew from the glint in Janos’s eyes and the way his fingers had lingered that today would be another ‘training’ day. He couldn’t help but wonder exactly what they would be doing with him. He slowly padded back out. 

Surprisingly, both Janos and Martel were waiting for him. He swallowed hard. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even heard Martel come back.

“Kneel.” Janos ordered. Rhett let out a slow breath and knelt in the presentation position, legs spread, hands behind his back. Martel took out the familiar glittering collar and clipped it around his throat above his usual leather and metal one. By the time he stepped back, Rhett’s cock was leaking precum. Martel ran an affectionate hand through his hair.

“This is another lesson we will be teaching you. But first, some instructions.” Martel said smoothly. Rhett frowned in confusion as Martel padded away and came back with a little box. Janos moved to stand behind Rhett, running his fingers through his curls. 

“We are going teach you how to nurse a cock.” Janos preened. Rhett gave a small groan. Nurse. What a ridiculous choice of phrase. 

“You have a gag reflex that needs training.” Martel added as he placed the box on the nearby coffee table. Rhett glanced at it curiously. 

“We could use toys but toys lack response. We want to teach you how to pleasure us specifically. What we like, what we respond to.” Martel explained. Rhett felt his cheeks grow warm at the memory of the ring gag and Martel sliding his cock deep down his throat.

“Gags are also not particularly helpful as they restrict your movements.” Janos said matter-of-factly from behind him. Rhett frowned as he realised what they were saying. He was expected to suck them off without the ring gag…

“This.” Martel said, his voice snapping like a whip. 

“Means that we will be placing our trust in your behaviour. Therefore, I would first like to show you something to give you a little motivation.” He said and Rhett didn’t like the narrowness to his eyes or the way his right hand was stroking the lid of the box. Martel opened the little hinge and took something silver out of its depths.

It was a pair of pliers. 

The handles which were covered in little grooves had been worn bare in some places, as though the tool was a particular favourite. He placed the pliers on the very edge of the little table in full view. Next, he reached into the box and drew out something else. At first Rhett though it was a string of beads. They chinked musically as Martel placed them on the table top. They weren’t beads however.

They were human teeth.

Rhett suddenly found it a lot harder to breathe. Some of the teeth looked rather old. They were yellowy and cracked and looked as though they had been sitting in the box for a long time. Some, however, did not look very old at all. 

“Did you know that some shifters can grow back their teeth? Not all, mind.” Janos announced. He sounded a little breathy. 

“I don’t mind finding out if you can. Do you understand what we are saying pet?” Martel asked, his fingertips brushing the pliers with fondness. Rhett nodded very stiffly. 

“Yes master.” Martel actually smiled. It made Rhett extremely nervous. The sheer implied violence of the human teeth was more then enough to get the message across. He could bite one them, even do significant damage but Martel would also pull out each and every one of his teeth if he did.

“You’re such a good boy.” He purred. He went over a nearby cabinet and pulled out the rose oil and something else which Rhett couldn’t see. 

“Bend over, forehead on the floor, ass up.” Janos commanded. Rhett, flushing with embarrassment, did as he was told, trying to calm his already racing heartbeat. He jumped slightly as Janos began to kneed the muscles of his ass.

“Don’t worry, a good slave always gets rewarded.” Janos promised. Rhett’s cock jumped and he bit back a groan as Janos reached forward to touch it. It was already hot and throbbing between his thighs. Suddenly something slick traced over his hole.

“It will be a very simple lesson.” Martel murmured. The oiled finger slowly eased into Rhett’s ass. Rhett had to fight his urge to move or rock his hips. The finger slid in and out, unhurried and gentle. 

“We are going to give you a little bullet. It’s going to rest snugly against your prostate. Then you will sit up, I will cuff your arms behind your back and you will take Janos in your mouth. If he likes what you are doing, the vibration will increase. We had a long discussion and we decided to reward you with an orgasm today. But only if you can successfully bring Janos off three times.” Rhett choked on another moan. Three times was a lot. He didn’t exactly have much experience with blow jobs. 

For fucks sake, he hadn’t had that much experience with sex unless he counted the few fumbling hook ups he had in high school and they weren’t much to write home about. The finger left his ass. He gasped when something small and smooth slid into his channel. 

“Relax, good boy.” Janos murmured, stroking his back. It wasn’t hard, the bullet was small. He couldn’t help but wiggle a little as it was eased further and further inside of him. 

“Up.” Janos commanded and Rhett sat up. Martel clipped his wrist cuffs together behind his back as Janos began to unbutton his own trousers. To Rhett’s great disquiet he saw that the man had a metal bar running through the head of the erect cock. He stared at it, mildly horrified. Janos laughed at his expression and Martel chuckled from somewhere behind him.

“It’s called an Apadravya piercing.” Janos said, stroking a thumb over the head of his cock. The metal glinted faintly.

“It looks painful.” Rhett rasped. Janos shrugged.

“Oh, it was at the time.” He purred; his expression faintly dreamy. Rhett suddenly felt very nervous again.

“You aren’t… are you…” He couldn’t make himself say it. His muscles had gone ridged and his own cock wilted a little at the thought. There was no way in hell he was going to let them stab a needle through his dick. 

“It’s alright pet. It isn’t something we are going to give you. Maybe one day, if you ask nicely. But for now, you don’t have to worry.” Martel murmured, brushing back the hair from Rhett’s suddenly pale face. Rhett let out a shaky breath and nodded, relieved. Ask them nicely… yeah. Hell would freeze over first.

“Now then. Open wide.” Janos chirped. Rhett’s erection came back without a single touch as the head of Janos’s cock slid across his tongue. The metal of the piercing was warm. He gasped as the little bullet inside started to vibrate. It wasn’t much, a barely there, vaguely distracting feeling.

“Close your lips around him and suck.” Martel murmured. The tiny chains of Rhett’s slave collar tinkled and danced as he carefully bobbed his head up and down of the long cock. Janos was being mercifully gentle. He let out a rather lazy groan, petting Rhett’s hair. The older general pulled up a chair and sat down, watching Rhett. The sounds of wet sucking and slurping echoed in the massive room. 

“Careful of your teeth pet.” Janos moaned. There was no anger, just a gentle reminder as Rhett grazed a little to hard with his canine. He tried to pull back but the grip in his curls tightened. Rhett gave a weak moan. He ran his tongue up the underside of Janos’s cock, tracing the thick vein there. The man above him shivered. As a reward, the vibration of the bullet increased a little and Rhett was allowed to pull back enough that only the head of the man’s cock was between his lips. He sucked on it, gently playing with the metal bar with his tongue.

“Good boy.” Janos gasped. Rhett felt the cock throb on his tongue. 

“Circle the cap with your tongue. He loves having his glands played with.” Martel said lazily. Rhett did as he was instructed, tonguing the spongey head. Clear fluid was beginning to leak from the slit and Rhett groaned again at the taste. Janos was not as long as Martel, didn’t have the same curve but Rhett guessed that he was a little thicker. His asshole flexed at the thought of it sliding into him. He shivered and Janos took the opportunity to gently thrust in and out of his mouth.

He fell into a rhythm of sucking and licking, tonguing what he could. He could feel the cock starting to twitch in his mouth. The little bullet was now humming hard against him prostate and Rhett was struggling not to hump his hips, the pleasure now hot and intense. 

“I’m going to cum pet. Swallow it.” Janos groaned, his hips trusting forward with more insistence. The hands that had been gentle in his hair tightened suddenly And Janos held him in place as his orgasm raced through him. The incubus groaned appreciatively as Rhett sucked on the head, his release spilling into the waiting mouth.

“Good boy.” Martel reached out a hand and stroked Rhett’s cheek and neck. They were always psychical with him, using touch and words to show and tell when he had done well or needed correcting. Rhett shivered, swallowing. They gave him a few minutes to stretch his legs and catch his breathe. 

“Very good boy. Now the training wheel come off.” Janos cooed. Rhett stared up at him, panting. The fuck did that mean!?

Those long fingers slid back into his hair and Rhett reluctantly rose up to take the still hard cock back into his mouth. It didn’t surprise him that the man was still hard. The sexual appetite of an incubus was legendary. 

Janos would let him suck and lick for while before forcing his cock deep down Rhett’s throat for a few quick jabs. He went at different angels, swirling his hips, almost always ensuring that he triggered Rhett’s gag reflex. He would watch his pet struggle, face going red before he wrenched back. Rhett cough hoarsely and spat out a mouth full of bile and drool. 

“Mouth open.” Janos said cheerfully and Rhett reluctantly opened to a new assault. 

His head spun as his airway was cut off. He swallowed around the cock in his throat. His gag reflex was repeatedly beaten, tears streaming down his cheeks. His chin was covered in thick drool but he couldn’t wipe it away. His jaw was getting very sore and he whimpered.

The sheer insanity of the situation was that despite their brutality, Rhett’s cock was harder than ever. His hips twitched, desperate for anything to touch his aching dick. The underside was cold and sticky as precum leaked sluggishly down its length. 

As Rhett expected, it took much longer for Janos to cum a second time. When he finally felt that tell tale throb he nearly sobbed with relief. He barely got a lung full of air before Janos grabbed his head and fucked deep into his throat, coming hard straight down Rhett’s gullet. All he could do was swallow.

“A break I think.” Martel said, rising from his chair. He stretched and went to pour three glasses of water. Janos took the vacated seat with a happy sound of contentment, his spent cock lying heavy and flushed against his thigh, glistening with saliva. Rhett was left shaking on the floor, the bullet buzzing almost violently against his prostate.

“Please!” He begged; his voice utterly ragged from the abuse. Janos hummed and mercifully turned down the vibration. Rhett just continued to lay sprawled. Martel came back over, passing a glass to his lover before kneeling. He helped Rhett sip up and placed the lip of the second glass to his lips. Rhett sipped gratefully. The cold water felt wonderful against his sore throat. Martel stretched Rhett’s legs.

“Kneel pet. You don’t get a break yet.” Rhett crawled between Janos’s legs. The incubus watched him with blood red eyes as he shakily licked and kissed along the hot limp cock. Janos sighed happily and spread his legs.

“Such a good boy. You need to milk me again if you want your orgasm.” Rhett didn’t think he would ever be able to think straight again. All he could taste was Janos, all he could smell was sex. He needed to cum so badly. His balls were aching. The vibration of the bullet may have been lowered but he was now so over sensitive that even the gentle hum was enough to drive him nearly insane. He whimpered, staring up at his masters.

He didn’t bother begging. He knew it wouldn’t do him any good anyway. Lunch arrived and Martel and Janos ate contentedly whilst Rhett continued to lick and suckle, taking advantage of the no hand in his hair to lavish the man’s balls.

“Mmm, good pup.” Janos purred, spreading his legs a little wider. He still wasn’t completely hard, utterly content to eat slowly and watch their kneeling slave. Rhett’s lips were swollen and his jaw was aching badly now. He spent more time lapping at the cock just to give himself a break. Janos didn’t seem to mind. 

Something sweet caught his attention and Rhett turned his head. Janos held out to fingers covered in jam.

“Hungry?” Rhett was frustrated and horny to high hell. But still, the imagine of what he must look like, on his knees, dick dripping as he lapped at the balls of another man made him cringe. Janos brought his hand closer. 

“Lick.” He didn’t want to though and without thinking he growled low. He was away from Janos and on his back before he could blink, Martel on top of him, pressing him into the cold marble floor. Shock and fear paralyzed his limbs as he stared up at the general.

“Never growl at your master pet.” Martel said, his voice dangerous. He grabbed Rhett’s aching cock and began to jack him hard. Rhett yelped, trying to sit up. Janos grabbed him by the hair and forced his torso back down. 

“Lick.” He said again, placing the jam to his lips. Rhett cried out at the punishing strokes as Martel fisted his sensitive cock. Instinctively, he tried to close his legs and received several hard-stinging slaps to his thighs for the attempt.

“Take your punishment pet.” Martel warning. Nearly sobbing and utterly incoherent, he started to frantically lick the jam from Janos’s hand, desperate for the pleasurable torture to end. His body wouldn’t orgasm without the command and he knew they would never give it to him until he obeyed. When Janos stood up and Martel let go, Rhett curled into a little ball, whimpering.

“You will not growl at your masters.” Martel said again and Rhett nodded.

“I’m sorry master.” He croaked. 

“Forgiven.” 

“On the upside for you, pet. That got me wonderfully hard. Come here and finish what you started.” Janos purred and resettled himself on the chair, spreading his legs to reveal his own solid dripping erection. Rhett stiffly uncurled. He wanted to call the man a bastard. He wanted to call them both sadistic pieces of shit. One quick glance at Martel though and he lost the will to try. He didn’t think he could take this dragging out for several more hours.

He took the ruddy cock back into his mouth and soon Janos was humming and groaning as he fucked down his throat again. He still gagged, still spluttered but it happened a little less often. 

“I think at least once a day to each of us should have this gag reflex gone soon.” Martel purred, stroking Rhett throat, feeling it bulge as Janos thrust. 

“Mmm. He can do it before breakfast every morning.” Janos purred.

“An excellent idea.” The bullet inside Rhett ass flared to life and he moaned weakly in response. 

He lost track of time, floating in haze of intense arousal, frustration and desperation. He had not thrown up again as Janos punished his throat. Between the bullet, Martel’s hands, Janos cutting of his air flow and his own throbbing cock, Rhett was riding the knife edge of orgasm. His swallowed again and again around the thick meat, the man’s pubic hair tickling his nose. Finally. Finally, Janos moaned loudly. He reached down to massage his own balls as he fed Rhett his third load of the afternoon. Rhett drank fast, trying to keep up. The general pulled back with a contented purr. Rhett stared up at him.

He tried to plead but his throat was raw and the words wouldn’t come out. They seemed to understand well enough though because Martel picked him up off the ground and marching him over to the massive bed, hurling him down onto it. Janos pounced, pinning his legs. His eyes glinted malicious as he ran a hot tongue up Rhett’s trembling inner thigh. Rhett panted hard, back arching in painful anticipation for the bite he knew was coming. 

His arms were still pinned underneath by the wrist cuffs and he yelled as Janos sucked hard on the vein, fingers tugging on his aching ball sack. Martel smirked down at him, using strong hand to pin down his shoulders.

“Ready to fly pet?” Martel purred low. He bent his head, listening to the rasping breaths. Rhett gave a breathless nod, beyond ready. A quiet chuckle was his only warning. A set of razor-sharp teeth sunk into his neck, a hand slapping over his mouth to muffle the scream. Janos bit down simultaneously into the soft pale flesh of his inner thigh, close to his groin. 

Rhett bucked and yelled, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. The pleasure so intense. It crippling him. Lights danced in front of his eyes and he couldn’t catch his breathe fast enough. His cock drooled pre cum onto his belly, bucking and desperate. A heavy hand coiled around it, stroking it mercilessly. Then, finally…

“You may cum.” 

Rhett didn’t remember blacking out. When he came to, he was utterly weak and laying in the lukewarm water of the huge bath. Martel’s arms wrapped comfortingly around him as he floated. It hurt to swallow and his wrists felt very sore. He must have been pulling on the cuffs quite a bit. 

“Relax.” Martel soothed, running a wash cloth over his chest. Rhett shivered and laid his head back. He drifted in and out of a doze as Martel carefully bathed him down. When the water got to cold, he helped Rhett out of the bath, wrapped him in a thick fluffy towel and carried him over to the massive bed. He was allowed to sleep until dinner arrived. When the knock on the heavy door woke him, Rhett felt a little more alive, or at least more aware. He sat up, rubbing weakly at his eyes. 

The scent of the food made his mouth water. He looked over and frowned. Martel was talking to whoever it was that was bringing the food trays. The conversation looked important. Martel was scowling slightly. The door closed and Martel placed two large trays down on the dining table. 

There was a lot more than usual. Steaks, chops, cranberry juice, roasted potatoes and a dark red wine sauce. After the blood letting and the day’s activities, Rhett was starving. He sat on his usual pillow as both general began to help themselves. Janos offered Rhett a piece of steak. It was utterly tender and delicious. They all ate hungrily for a while; Rhett being fed piece at a time from his masters. 

“So, what is that you need me for other then a sex slave?” Rhett had been working up the courage to say this since he had sat on his pillow. The clinking of cutlery paused. 

“You’ve both been disappearing to meetings more and more. You’ve received numerous phone calls, two in the middle of the night and then that guard showed up this morning in a panic if his scent was anything to go by. So, is the empire finally having problems with its glass cities?” He asked in a would-be causal voice. The hairs were starting to stand on the back of his neck, anticipating the dangerous turn to the atmosphere.

“Has anyone every told you are to observant?” Janos said flatly.

“Would you love me as much if I wasn’t?” He went for a joking tone but when he looked up both of his demon masters were staring down at him with deadly intensity. He froze, a fawn in the presence of a tiger. 

“The king has requested to meet you.” Martel said. Rhett choked on the piece of chop he’d been chewing on.

“Why?” He managed to squeak once he’d cleared his windpipe. 

“Because he wants to see how far you have come in your retraining.” The general said, his eyes burning. Rhett felt himself start to sweat. He knew he had made a reputation for himself before his capture but that much of a reputation?

“When?” 

“A week.” Martel said, sipping from his own glass. 

“I hope you behave yourself pet. He gave us permission to train you but I don’t doubt if he thinks we’ve unsuccessful that he will kill without preamble.” He added. Janos held out a potato but Rhett didn’t take it. 

“Don’t worry pet, a week is plenty of time to break you in. If not, then Janos and I will just have to find a new project to work on.” 

\--

END

\--


	9. The King

\--

Chapter Nine

The King

\--

The next few days for Rhett were an exhausting mixture of training and conditioning. Janos had kept his word and each morning Rhett was expected to perform oral sex on one or both of them. The incubus had enormous sexual appetite and it didn’t seem to matter how many orgasms they had; they were never sated for long. 

They had also begun escorting him to a gym where he was expected to run on the tread mill or lift weights. Rhett actually wasn’t complaining about that. It felt incredible to be actively using his muscles and body for something other then sex. 

They had still yet to fuck him though they certainly never left his ass alone. He had taken finger and toys of all shapes and sizes up his ass every day. He felt like he was slowly going crazy. Even his dreams wouldn’t let him forget. He dreamt of Martel mounting him, pinning him down and fucking him hard. He would never admit it out loud but when he woke every morning, his thighs sticky and his cock hard, his masters would smirk at each other knowingly. 

All thoughts of escape seemed just as hopeless as when he first arrived. Every moment of every day he was watched. When he wasn’t, he was shackled. Even at the gym, his leash was attached to whatever machinery he was using, the collar a tight reminder of what he was now. 

One or both generals was always with him and if he was out in the gym, an armed guard or two was also present. They took absolutely no chances with him and that both worried and pissed him off. Janos was less controlled, more unpredictable but somehow it was Martel that frightened and aroused Rhett the most. The man was utterly uncompromising. He read Rhett better then he could read himself. 

It was usually Janos who praised heavily with words and touches. Martel was harder to impress, harder to pacify. Rhett was shocked and a little ashamed at just how much he enjoyed hearing Martel’s praise. He never knew if they would be kind or cruel. He supposed that was the point. When they said jump, he wasn’t supposed to ask how high, he was just supposed to start jumping.

His anxiety about meeting the king rose every time he was conscious enough to think about it which wasn’t often. They taught him how he was to sit, how he was to bow, how he was to take food and drink. 

On the third day he was shown how to serve food and drink to others, a silver tray balanced dangerous and heavy on each arm as he walked around the table. Both cups and plates were filled with water due to the amount of times he dropped them with the large plug rubbing hard against his prostate with every step. 

Humiliation and degradation were replaced with wanting and desperation. He tried not to beg but Martel in particular always seemed to take this as a challenge. He couldn’t lie to himself. He had to admit that he loved the high they gave him.

“Pet.” Rhett’s eyes focused on Martel. They had finished another exhausting day. Rhett hadn’t been allowed to cum and it had taken almost an hour for his mind and body to calm down. They were lying in the deep bath, Rhett resting between Martel’s legs as the older man gently cleaned the days’ worth of filth from his tired form. 

“Mmm.” Was the only response Rhett could manage. His throat and jaw were rather sore. He had been unable to the control himself and snapped at Janos. He couldn’t even remember what he had said but the end result had been having to wear the ring gag for over an hour. 

“You’re not paying attention.” The voice was amused. Rhett slow blinked. He really wanted to fall asleep here, it was so comfortable. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled. His words slurred a little. Martel snorted softly and gently combed the curls from Rhett’s face.

“You need a haircut.” The incubus observed. Rhett was convinced that it was the after care they both gave him that had reinforced his bondage so absolutely. No matter how annoyed they were or what they had done to him, the moment the training was over, it was over and all was forgiven. Janos would rub salve into any red skin, Martel would bath him and both generals took it in turn to rub out any knots in his muscles. The result left him utterly placid and content. He had not bathed himself since he had arrived at this place. 

Long fingers slid around his throat. His head was tipped back and cool lips pressed against his own. Rhett let out a shaky sigh into the kiss. He was far to drained to get an erection but that didn’t stop the small bloom of warmth the man’s touch always caused. 

“Come.” Martel murmured lazily. He helped him from the water. Rhett padded from the bathroom. And paused in the doorway. A large screen had dropped down from one of the walls a little like a projector. It fluttered briefly then turned on. Fascinated, he went over to it, watching in surprise as a news broadcast began to play. Great plumes of soft wafted up from behind an austere looking woman in a harshly cut black top. 

Suddenly Rhett didn’t feel quite so tired. 

Janos was standing in front of the screen, a tiny remote in one hand. He pressed a button and suddenly there was sound.

“-is the second attack on a government building in the last week. Local authorities are increasingly concerned for the safety of local residences and encourage the community to stay away from the area and report any suspicious activity to this number.” A phone number flashed up on the screen along with a website address and several emails. Janos muted the sound again.

“A bombing?” Rhett asked, unnerved. He was surprised they were showing this to him. 

“You wanted to know why the king has called you to his audience? Sit down.” Martel indicated one of the couches nearby. Rhett sat.

“When we take you to the king, we will not be permitted to influence your answers.” He said. 

“Speak only when asked a question and do not do anything to provoke him.” Martel warned. Rhett looked from him to Janos. Was it his imagination or did Janos look worried?

“What is going on?” he asked. There was a long pause. Martel finally let out a long sigh and sat beside him.

“I will give a shortened version. The attacks against Incubus empire officials and buildings have increased since your capture.” He said. Rhett swallowed. Was this why? Had the kind changed his mind? Was the king going to have him publicly executed anyway in an attempt to curb the increase rebellion activity Rhett has caused?

“… but they are not the work of human rebellion groups.” The general added, seeing his pale face. Rhett’s mouth opened and then closed.

“What do you mean?” 

“This planned cohabitation with the human race was the preferred outcome to the war but it was not the only outcome. There were many among our kind who sort to control the humans, take them from their homes, jobs and schools and have them become the livestock they are. They wanted to strip the humans of all rights and social hierarchy and place them into breeding houses.” Rhett felt his stomach turn over. 

“Breeding houses?” He choked out. The incubus nodded.

“The king decided against this. Cohabitation benefited the empire more then complete slavery. Cattle don’t pay taxes or keep the lights on. We currently have willing donors and a civilisation who cooks our food and cleans our houses. There is still, however, many incubus who believe that the king has chosen the soft option. They seek to cause a new, more violent war between the incubus and humans, to force the king’s hand or remove him form the throne to replace him with a king who they believe will make the correct decisions.” 

“One of the ways they have attempted to do this is to find those human rebels still active and help them.” Janos cut in. Rhett frowned, his brain struggling to catch up.

“Why help them?” He asked although he could hazard a good guess.

“To make sure the war restarts, it had to look as though it’s the human starting it. Did you ever realize that the incubi were involved in some the terrorist attacks in the media?” Martel asked. Rhett shook his head, still dumbfounded.

“We need to act and that is where you come in if the king decides you could be the pawn we need. If he thinks you will be then you will be told more. Until then, it would be best to put it out of your mind.” 

“That will be a little hard to do.” Rhett rasped. He stood up on shaky legs. His masters exchanged looks. 

“Well. Perhaps we can help with that.” Janos said sweetly, one long fang showing. 

The bite took him by surprise. 

He had taken another step back, away from Janos and hit the broad chest of the other general. Hands gripped his shoulders and before he could move, long teeth had sunk into the soft skin below his collar. Janos watched him; red eyes narrowed, greedy. The venom hit Rhett’s blood stream like a punch to the gut. He gasped. Janos grabbed his wrists as his hands flew up in reaction.

Rhett’s head was swimming. His body tingled from his scalp down to his toes. He felt like he was flying. It was terrifying, exhilarating and arousing. Warmth melted thick and slow from the bite to his limbs. He couldn’t move, his muscles loosening. His cock twitched. 

By the time Martel released him, his eyes were already sliding closed. His knees buckled. He felt himself being lifted. Rhett was laid down, his muscles significantly weakened by the venom’s affect. He felt the soft sheet against his skin, and the warmth of the two bodies as the incubus settled around him. He groaned softly. A hand slid into his hair.

“Sleep pet. You will need it.”

\--

The end of the week came far faster then Rhett not that there was anything that could be done to prevent it. Janos had fed him as Martel slipped out. When he came back, he was holding a pair of trousers. To Rhett’s surprise, the general handed them to him.

“Put them on pet.” Rhett stared down. The material was incredibly soft. It slid through his fingers easily. It felt awkward and almost unnatural to get dressed. It had been gods knew how long since he had worn clothes. The trousers sat low on his hips but weren’t long enough to catch under his bare feet. There was no shirt or shoes. He guessed that they wanted to show him off. 

“Comfortable?” Janos asked. 

“Let’s please get this over with.” Rhett grumbled. Martel swatted him lighted.

“Keep that attitude to yourself pup.” He warned. Rhett just nodded. He wished he hadn’t eaten breakfast. The food kept threatening to come back up. Both of the generals were dressed immaculate in their military uniform. Janos had his hair bound in an intricate braid down his back and threaded through with a gold ribbon. Martel was hovering by the door, waiting for them.

It was utterly alien for Rhett to step out into the corridor without chains. He still wore the wrist cuffs and his collar like some kinky set of jewellery but he wasn’t hobbled. For one insane moment, he thought about just bolting, running madly down the corridor. The thought was gone as fast as it came. He still didn’t know his way around and Martel still had his tranquiliser gun. He could feel the man’s eyes burning into the back of his head as Janos stepped into the lead. 

With enormous reluctance, Rhett followed. He tried to keep track of the amount if turns they took but by the eleventh, he was lost. It was clear the place was constructed this way on purpose. There was little more then a statue, painting or tapestry that made any one corridor slightly different from the other. Occasionally there was carpet, sometimes tiles. If he had more time, he might have worked out the pattern. 

It was the sound of voices that made him look up. For some unfathomable reason, he began to feel a tremor of panic. He hadn’t been around other people since before his capture. The thought was crippling him. His collar suddenly felt to tight and his breathes were getting shorter and shorter. Janos looked back at him with a frown.

“Keep going, don’t be late. We will be there in a minute.” Martel said. Janos gave a Rhett a concerned look before nodding and walking on. Rhett moved over and leant against the icy concrete wall. Martel raised an elegant eyebrow.

“What is it that you are afraid of? The king? His soldiers?” He murmured, taking the boy’s chin in his grip. Rhett pinched his eyes shut.

“No.” He rasped. 

“What then?” He tried to put what he felt into words. He certainly wasn’t thrilled to meet the king but he had expected to be executed from day one. He had never been afraid to die. He tried to unpick that tangle knot of emotion building and thrashing about inside him.

Shame. He realised. He was ashamed. He was supposed to be a rebel fighter and he was coming to the king as a perfect little slave. He felt sick. Once against Martel seemed to demonstrate an unearthly ability to read him because the general said

“I wasn’t aware you cared what others thought of you.” He murmured. Rhett met his red eyes with his own.

“I hate how spineless you’ve made me.” He croaked. Another pause.

“Because you haven’t uselessly tried to attack one of us? That makes you spineless?” the incubus inquired. Rhett just shook his head. 

“I don’t know.” Martel leant forward and kissed him. He settled a little of the roiling panic. 

“Come.” Martel took his wrist and tugged. Numbly, Rhett followed. The quiet voices got louder as they went, faster now to make up for lost time. The corridor broke out into a massive set of double doors. Rhett’s whole body tensed at the sight of so many uniformed incubus soldiers. There were other humans to, standing statue still in plain grey uniforms, their heads bowed. 

Two other humans wore rags, their arms bound and their eyes wild. Both men were probably in their early thirties. They looked over at Rhett with wide terrified eyes. The scent of their sweat was so potent it made Rhett nearly gag. He didn’t know why they were here and yet he knew somehow that they wouldn’t leave this place alive. 

Their guards looked vaguely bored; their sharp features blank as they gripped the end of the chains that held their human prisoners. Both incubi gave Martel a respectful nod. Rhett was pressed forward to stand beside the other humans.

The doors opened.

Rhett had imagined the king of the incubus empire as a towering figure. He wasn’t wrong but he hadn’t been quite right either. 

The aura of the individual in front of him was like nothing Rhett had ever experience in his short life. It seeped through the air like something alive. It pressed down on his muscles, constricted his ribcage and burned his eyes. He heard the two humans beside him collapse to their knees, unable to take the terrific pressure anymore. Rhett was only standing by sheer will power, his joints protesting and his knees locked painfully straight.

The king sat in the centre of the room. Guards and incubi servants lined the walls. They were all looking towards the humans with silent disapproval. Huge bird like cages hung from the enormous domed ceiling ad Rhett could smell the blood and sweet rot of those already dead and dying inside. His throat was suddenly very dry.

He had never felt terror like this. It must be akin to how a trapped doe feels in the face of a bear. He was so thoroughly, insanely, out of his depth in comparison to the power of the demon sitting at the other end of the deathly silent room. Skin creeping, sweat dripping down the back of his neck, Rhett was paralysed.

The king was a man, if he could be described as such, of overwhelming tallness. He seemed to tower even seated in his throne. A crown of black and silver was placed atop a head of red hair that framed a defined jawline and pointed ears. His eyes were pits of boiling seething red. There was no difference between iris, pupil or otherwise, just red burning coals. Rhett couldn't meet those eyes and dropped his gaze to the polished floor. 

"He's younger than I expected." The voice was like thunder in such a vast quiet room. Rhett shook with the pitch of it. It seemed to go straight through him. There was a sudden sharp scent of urine. The man beside Rhett on the floor had pissed himself. A nearby guard snarled low in disgust. Someone shoved him forward and it was all Rhett could do to put one foot in front of the other. The other humans were dragged, unable to get their legs under them.

"My nephew has become enamoured with you from what I've observed. Will you meet my gaze, little pup? Show me what has my generals so fixated." Rhett's stomach clenched at being address by the demon king. He bit his tongue so hard it split open and he swallowed blood. Rhett squeezed his eyes shut. Murmurs and soft laughter whispered around the hall. They were unimpressed.

Rhett took a slow breath in and let it out. He withdrew into himself. He sought out the wolf's strength, its need to survive and drew on it. He was still afraid, still horrifying outmatched but his limbs had stopped trembling. When Rhett lifted his head and stared the man in the face, his eyes were pools of glittering gold.

The whispering stopped.

"Many in my council expected your public execution for the disruption you caused." The king said, staring down at the young man. Say nothing, do nothing, be a threat to no one and beg for his sympathy. That is what those humans had said to him. Rhett couldn't see Martel or Janos though he sensed his masters somewhere not far behind him. There was every chance that Rhett would not leave this room alive. He could feel all the onlooker’s eyes on him. Rhett working his sore throat to force words out.

"So did I your majesty." He said. To his credit, his voice didn't shake.

"Your masters seem to think that you are on your way to being tamed. That's not quite true though, is it?" The king rose to his full height and even Rhett couldn't stop himself from taking a step back. Some of the royal court did to.

"You would still try to kill me if you could, wouldn't you, little wolf?" Should he lie? Could he lie? He glanced into the blood red eyes and nodded just once. He thought he heard Janos give a small groan.

"I'm under no illusions that I could, but I would still try." His voice was small and rasped. The king stepped towards him, taking in the loose curls, leather collar and taught muscles. The king's hand was equipped with long polished claws. It rose and cupped Rhett's chin tilting his face up for better observation.

"I understand what they see in you." The demon mused. Then he said

"Does he respond well to you nephew?" Janos and Martel stepped a little closer and the army of eyes went to them for a moment.

"He is still in training but he is getting there, sire." Janos said, his tone light. Rhett tried to turn his head to look at the man but he found himself transfixed by the king's gaze.

"You've broken many slaves in your years Martel. Would you say he is broken?" the king purred.

"No, your majesty. He is bendable, malleable. He can become what you need him to be." Rhett swallowed drily. What were they talking about? Why was he really here?

"Do you know what is happening out in the world right now slave?" The king asked. That word, slave, sent a zing of arousal through him. Rhett bit down on his tongue again. One quick glance told him the king knew the effect of the word. The generals had probably told him everything about Rhett's conditioning.

"There is a civil rebellion amongst the incubi and those rouge incubi have joined the human rebels." Rhett summarised.

"Yes. Vermin join in forces to disrupt the peace I have constructed."

"Constructed is a good choice of word." Rhett spat before he could stop himself. There was a stunned silence. Janos swore quietly.

The king laughed.

"Oh yes. He will do. The public grow restless with the increase in attacks. They will not believe the word of an incubus that the situation is being managed, that their support should remain unwavering." An uneasy feeling growing in Rhett's gut. He stared up at the king. He had a horrible feeling he knew why he was here. He thought carefully for a few moments before he spoke again.

"You need the public to think you are taking this seriously with their best interest at heart which you can do only by working alongside a shifter, preferably one the public are already familiar with." Rhett said at last. The king's lips quirked into a twisted smile. Unlike the other incubus, it was not just the man's canines that were sharp but every tooth in the dark red mouth.

"Someone like me." He said, finally understanding the full measure of exactly what this meeting was.

"Yes."

"No." the word was out before he could really think about it. It came out loud and hard, as though he could weaponize it against the man in front of him. The king ignored him for the moment as he returned to his throne to sit back down, long legs crossed at the ankle. He watched Rhett with predatory interest.

"I am proposing that you fight beside my generals. Become my figure head for the people." Rhett was shaking his head. It would be a lie. It would make him a hypocrite. It would make him everything he hated! Everything that he had been fighting against for years!

"I can't do that." Rhett said through gritted teeth. The king gave a small lazy half smile.

"These are your choices. Be my pawn or die." Silence.

"We can control how much venom we deliver as we feed. Most of my subjects can deliver a dose to completely fog the mind of their victim. My venom is potent enough to kill. Your life belongs to be me boy. I will acknowledge your bravery, a rare trait amongst your species. If you do not agree to fight for me against this new threat then you will be executed here and now. However, in acknowledgement of your accomplishments, it will be by my bite. You will die but it will be the most pleasant death a human could ask for." Rhett's mouth had gone completely dry. He stared wide eyed from the king to Martel's face. The generals’ faces had become impassive. 

Only two months ago he would have sworn he was ready to die for his cause. That he would never break. Now... now he wasn't so sure. His resolve was crumbling. He didn't want to serve this man. but he didn't want to die either. The entire room had gone deathly still. He saw some shocked expression that matched his own. He looked back at the king. This was potentially his last chance. 

He could try and shift. The collar would undoubtably choke him.

Two strides and he could... die. 

He knew he would never make the distance. Hell, even at his shifting speed, he probably would never even get his paws to the floor.

With a pained ache in his chest, he met the red eyes.

"I'll fight for you, to protect the humans living in this city not because I want to serve you. But once this is over, once the other incubi are dead, I'm done." Rhett rasped. The king beckoned him forward. He went on shaking legs. A clawed hand wrapped around his bicep and he was wrenched forward. 

Rhett shouted as long teeth shredded into the side of his neck. For one terrifying moment he thought the king had made his choice for him and then the venom hit his blood stream and he completely forgot to care. in seconds, his cock stiffened. His muscles tenses as liquid fire went through his veins. he never even got the sound out of his throat as his body convulsed into violent orgasm with the command. It was so strong he blacked out.

He hit the floor hard. It took several long minutes for him to put some semblance of thought back together. Something was different, wrong. There were whispers in his head. His thoughts were so slow and thick. Too weak to move, he just stared up at the demon king. The king smirked down at him.

"Accepted little wolf. You now carry my mark until the day you die." Rhett eyes bulged as the words continued on inside his skull.

"…and now, no matter where you are or how far away you are from me, I will know your every thought. If I ever believe that you would betray my generals in any way, your existence will the tortured example every human will fear." Rhett whimpered. He shook all over. He couldn't even sit up.

"We are done here for today. Take him back to your quarters general and make sure he is ready for travel. You have two days."

"Yes sire."

Arms encircled Rhett's limp form.

"Bring me the others." He heard the king say. The two humans that had been nothing but ragdolls on the floor were dragged passed Rhett's field of view. He heard the screaming, the pleading and the sound of something wet and meaty being ripped into pieces. He was picked up off the cold floor and carried from the hall, his eyes unable to focus in anyway, his mind still gripped in the horror of what he had agreed to.

\--

END

\--


	10. Another Hurdle

\--

Chapter Ten

Another Hurdle

\--

He didn't remember the journey back to their chambers. He had a faint impression of changing light and shifting shapes. When he woke, his whole body was curled tight into a ball in a futile attempt to protect his softer parts. His world quaked and tilted. The bite on his neck throbbed like he been jabbed by a fully charged cattle prod. His body shook, his muscles jerking and shifting under his skin.

"Take it easy." Janos's voice said from somewhere near his head. Rhett groaned. The sound was raw. He lay that way for a long time; the venom having utterly destroyed his basic motor skills. Slowly he was able to twitch his fingers, then move his arms. He tried to uncurl, his frame stiff and uncooperative. His stomach dropped violently and Rhett's eyes opened wide despite their protest to the room's lighting.

"I think I'm gunna-" He barely got the words out before he was pulled upright and to the edge of the bed and a bucket was placed under his chin. It was just in time as he threw up what felt like everything he'd eaten in the last six months. His stomach contracted again and again until he was heaving up bile. To Janos's credit, the incubus didn't flinch as he held the bucket. Rhett tried to reach for it but his arms felt like they were full of lead. They hung uselessly at his sides. His legs to, were limp. The muscles were weakened beyond anything Rhett had ever felt.

"When the king holds back his venom, it can still have a potent effect even in such a small dose." Marcel murmured, sweeping back the loose curls from Rhett's sweaty forehead. For several long minutes all Rhett could do was just focus on making his lungs work. He took shaky gasps for oxygen, the taste of sour vomit on his tongue nearly sending him into another fit of dry heaves.

He had very few memories of his father, but the few he did, featured the pot marked man blackout drunk in a thick congealing puddle of his own vomit. Rhett shuddered.

"Better?" Janos asked. The wolf gave the smallest of nods. Rhett was passed a cup of water to wash his mouth out. He spat into the bucket, much of it dribbling down his chin due to his almost non-existent motor controls. His masters carefully cleaned him up before finally allowing him to lie down again. Marcel's comforting warmth against his back help to ground him in a world that was still rocking around the edges. He fell back into blissful oblivion for a couple more hours.

When he was next shaken awake, he groaned in protest.

"You need to get some fluids into you." Marcel murmured, helping him to sit up again. Rhett still felt weak and shaky but at least the lights no longer felt as though they were psychically attacking him. Janos offered him a cup of water but his hand still shook to violently to hold it so he had to submit to his master's habit of holding it for him. He was used to it anyway.

"You continue to surprise us pup." Marcel breathed into the back of his head, ruffling his head.

"Why?" Rhett croaked. Christ, it sounded like he been chewing on crushed pavement and broken glass.

"I can count on one hand the creatures that have stood against our king. Many being older and more powerful then you and have fallen to their knee before confessing their hatred for him."

"I couldn't kill him. I was right there. I was right there and somehow, I knew, I couldn't do it. That I wouldn't be able to." Rhett spat the words out with some effort. They hurt almost as much as his aching body.

"You said as much. Those words earnt you some respect amongst our kind." Janos said in what he probably thought was a soothing tone. Rhett gave a dog like bark of laughter. It was jarring and sharp to the ear.

"I didn't do it to earn respect." He snarled. His masters looked unruffled.

"We know."

It was an odd moment. This was the most he had been allowed to talk freely in a long time. They lapsed into silence again. He was offered another cup of water which he sipped at as his brain tried to process everything that had happened the day before. 

“So that was the point of all this, to make me a little toy solider for the empire?” He murmured softly. 

“If you wish to see it that way. This isn’t a game though pet. You will fight alongside us or die in the attempt.” Martel answered gravely. Rhett glanced at him.

“And will I get to kill incubus?” He growled, his eyes flashing gold for a moment. Martel’s clawed hand took his chin in a tight grip.

“The rebel incubus, yes.” He said, his tone making it perfectly clear that Rhett was reaching the outer limit of what his masters would allow. Rhett gave a small snort of laughter.

“Well. That’s something at least.” He said. Janos sniggered.

“I always knew he would be the perfect little pet.” He cooed. Rhett was to tired and sore to respond. Janos left for awhile in full uniform. Martel propped Rhett up on the couch and helped to eat a rich soup and a few pieces of soft bread.

“Can we talk about the fact that Janos is the king’s nephew?” Rhett grumbled as he chewed. Having slept most of the day and having some food in his belly, he was starting to feel more like himself. Martel smirked.

“There is not much to say. Janos was always more for action than for politics. It was recognised that he was a young and impulsive, that he needed a guiding hand.” Martel purred. Rhett looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“And that was how you two became… involved?” He guessed. The smirk got wider, more dangerous.

“Eat your soup pet.” Martel stood and left him. Rhett did as he was told, knowing he wasn’t going to get any more information from the general tonight. 

\--

It was always difficult to tell the time in this place. The lights dimmed and brightened depending on the time of day but as for the exact hour, Rhett never knew. There were no clocks anywhere. He guessed it was late though when Janos came back. Rhett had been resting in the massive bed, a light chain connecting from his collar to the steel bedframe. Martel was working on a laptop at the wooden table, sipping at a mug of coffee. Janos’s expression was unreadable as he re-entered their quarters. 

“He really is intent on us leaving Wednesday.” He said, resting a hip on the table. Martel paused in his key strokes, looking up. 

“It is unsurprising.” Both incubi looked over at Rhett who was watching them carefully. Rhett looked away too late, already beginning to feel the faint unease. 

“We haven’t broken him in properly yet.” Janos said sulkily. 

“We will continue to work him on the journey there.” Martel said, unworried. He stood and when he next looked over at the wolf, his eyes were burning. Sensing the change in the air, Rhett’s cock began to thicken between his legs. He sat up but the sound of the clinking chain only heated his arousal further. 

“But, given time constraints, we should at least have him whilst we can in the comfort of our own bed.” Janos insisted, already stripping out of his formal military attire. Martel hummed, unbutton his own shirt. 

“Get his collar.” He ordered. Rhett swallowed. Martel strode toward the bed. He ripped the blankets aside with one hand, revealing Rhett’s flushed torso and swollen cock. 

“Are you ready pet? Ready to take your masters’ cocks?” Martel reached down and grasped Rhett’s erection, making him gasp and arch a little. 

“Yes master.” Rhett was already sinking back into his training. The last of the venom had worn off about an hour ago. He no longer felt disorientated or sick. He was at least grateful they had given him the time to recover. He twitched and whimpered as Martel rubbed a firm thumb over the moist head of his cock as Janos fixed on the tight tickling chained collar. The bowl of rose oil was set on the bedside table and Rhett was forced up on his knees. The scent of the oil, the chiming of the little chains all forcing Rhett early into his sub space.

“Let’s cuff him.” Janos pleaded. Rhett’s cock jumped, the idea of being tied down as they took him only driving him further into submission. Martel nodded. He took Rhett’s wrists and cuffed them easily behind the young man’s back, Rhett utterly unresisting. He tugged on the cuffs, hearing the leather creak. 

“Good boy.” Martel praised. His reward was a long slow kiss that left Rhett panting. He jumped a little at the first touch to his exposed ass. Janos ran two oiled fingers down his crack. He gently tugged on his ball sack, pinched the tip of his cock and pressed a thumb against his winking asshole. Rhett groaned. 

Arms cuffed firmly behind his back; Rhett was forced to kneel awkwardly on the mattress. Janos’ slick thumb slid up and down over his exposed pucker again and again, circling and dipping in just a little. Rhett’s cock was hot and heavy between his legs, beads of creamy pre cum already collecting at the tip. He shook, his forehead resting on Martel’s shoulder.

“He’s gorgeous.” Martel purred, lapping at a fresh bruise he had worked into the boy’s throat with teeth and tongue. He was careful to avoid the healing bite left by the king. Rhett whimpered.

“He is.” Janos agreed. 

“What do you think pup? Should I hold you down whilst Janos fucks your tight ass?” Rhett shook his head weakly. 

“No?” Martel feigned surprised. He reached between Rhett’s legs to strode his aching dick with a slick hand. Rhett’s hips bucked and he groaned out loud. He already wanted to come so badly. He knew they wouldn’t let him though. 

Not yet. Maybe not at all. 

“Feed him your cock.” Janos groaned. A moan rattled from Rhett’s throat before he could stop it.

“Do I need to get the ring gag or will you behave?” Martel murmured into his ear. He shivered. He didn’t want the gag. It hurt his jaw and gums. Rhett shook his head. He watched with wide eyes as Martel stripped off the last of his uniform, his own long cock hard already. He came back over and placed the tip at Rhett’s lips. As he opened his mouth, two long oiled fingers slid into his ass. He groaned as the thick cock slid along his tongue.

“Good boy.” Janos praised, easing the fingers in and out slowly stretching him. Rhett shifted, squirming though there was nowhere for him to go. Fingers gripped Rhett’s hair making his length jump. Martel wasn’t allowing him to have more than the first two inches of his cock. He sucked at the head, hyperaware of Janos behind him. He was more than ready, his whole body shaking. 

He nearly sobbed with relief as he felt the slick blunt head of the man’s cock press against the tight ring of muscle. 

“Relax.” Martel warned as Janos eased forward feeding his cock into Rhett’s channel. Rhett sucked in a breath. Even with the prep, Janos was big. He struggled to relax as that thick cock forced its way into his body. He could feel the metal piecing rubbing against his tender walls. Martel seemed to decide he was fine because those powerful hands tugged hard on his hair. Rhett gagged briefly as his other master thrust into his mouth and connected with the back of his throat.

No where to go, bound and helpless Rhett moaned around the dick in his mouth as Janos set up a steady rhythm.

“He’s tight.” Janos hissed, expression pinched with his pleasure. Martel ran his hands all over Rhett’s body, stroking over his nipples, his throat, his belly. Rhett shuddered. Martel was especially cruel to his exposed nipples, rolling and pinching them, making the boy twitch and whimper. Suddenly the general leaned all the way forward over Rhett’s back, forcing his curved cock deep down his throat. He spread the boy’s ass cheeks, watching with burning eyes as Janos fucked into their slave. 

He could feel Rhett struggling, his throat swallowing around the dick that was cutting off his airways. He could smell the boy’s arousal and let him struggle a little longer. He would make sure their pet felt his submission. Janos fucked hard into the boy. There was the delicious sound of slapping flesh and garbled begging that filled the room. The boy’s cock was red and engorged. 

“Do you want to cum slave?” Martel growled thickly, wrenching the boy off his cock. He looked down at the swollen lips, flushed cheeks and tear-filled eyes. Rhett coughed then yelped at a particularly brutal thrust.

“Yes master! Please master!” Martel snorted and forcing dick back inside the open mouth.

“He’s coherent. Clearly you’re not fucking him hard enough lover.” Martel hissed. Rhett made a small noise of panic, trying to speak.

“Shut up.” Martel gripped his jaw and fucked down the boy’s throat once more.

Rhett was left dangling somewhere between heaven and hell. The world bled away at the edges. His body was on fire. His balls and cock swung free and heavy with every one of Janos’s punishing thrusts. His balls were drawn right up and he teetered on the very edge of orgasm, his training preventing him from going over. This was how they wanted him, how they fed from him and his sexual energy. Sweat slid down his face. 

“Ready pup? We’re going to breed you.” Janos groaned, his hips losing rhythm. He grazed Rhett’s sensitive prostate on every stroke. Martel fisting Rhett’s hair and plunged forward making the boy deep throat him. At the same time Janos buried himself in Rhett’s ass.

Rhett could feel the thick cock twitching deep inside as Janos begun to cum, filling his guts. Paralyzed with pleasure and dizzy with the lack of air Rhett was left squirming.

“Cum slave.” Martel ordered with a grunt. As Martel began to squirt Rhett’s eyes rolled back into his head. He shook hard in his chains, back bowing as one of the most intense orgasms of his life slammed into him. Lights winked behind his closed eyes for several seconds. His ass squeezed down on the cock inside him, milking it. He was distantly aware of Martel’s firm grip on his jaw, making sure that he wouldn’t bite down. 

Not that he could have. Drained, he would have collapsed if Martel hadn’t been holding him up. Janos was first up to grab a damp washcloth. Martel held onto Rhett, gently licking at the bruises and bites. Rhett moaned softly, letting his mind drift off.

It took a long time for him for him to recover. They didn’t hurry him. He was so sensitive to the touch that he flinched away from the washcloth. The lights dimmed as the afternoon slipped away. The smell of red meat and plum sauce made Rhett sit up from his position on the bed. 

“Hungry?” Janos asked. He nodded. His collar was unclipped and he was allowed to kneel on the thick pillow. The generals sat but neither moved to feed him, the metal chopsticks held still in elegant fingers. 

“Before we start and whilst we have your full attention, we need to go over the rules of what is about to happen.” Martel said, his face suddenly sombre. 

“First and foremost, you will answer to us. Only the king comes before we do. Your response must be swift and without argument. We have been lenient with you during these last few weeks.” Rhett bit his tongue hard to stop himself from sneering a response but the sharp narrowing of Martel’s eyes told him the incubus knew he wanted to.

“However, the moment we leave this compound we will expect perfection. Punishment will come instantly and remorselessly for any failure. This goes for our soldiers as much as it does yourself. We don’t accept failure. From anyone.” The structure of this sentence struck Rhett as odd. He shivered, unease resting in his limbs as he remembered the incubus who had attempted to capture him before the generals. His name had been something faintly ridiculous…

“From anyone? Did that include your old lieutenant?” He asked quietly. Those hands slide in Rhett’s hair. His head was guided back. The gentlest brush of Martel’s lips against his own imitated a kiss.

“I sent his head back to his parents myself.” Martel purred and Rhett’s blood went cold. 

“What are you?” he rasped, staring wide eyes into pools of blood red. The general smirked.

“Do as you are ordered, walk where we walk, sleep when we tell you to sleep and talk to no other unless we tell you too. We will pick out some uniforms for you. You will not be given any weapons but once on the field, we will see about having you fitted for a little body armour.”

“I’m not military trained.” 

“Oh pet, it’s not the human that we need in this war. It’s the wolf and the wolf doesn’t need to be military trained to know how to kill.” Martel sat back in his chair and reached for the bowl of sliced meat. Rhett rocked back into his presentation position, his eyes wide and his heart thumping. Every time he thought he could get a grip on his current position, they added something new.

As Janos offered him a piece dangled lightly on the end of his chopsticks, it once again occurred to Rhett that he could very well die soon. And if he did, these demons would probably just replace him with a brand-new pet.

\--

END

\--


	11. Dire Consequences

\--

Chapter Eleven

Dire Consequences 

\--

It was with much trepidation that Rhett watched his master pack the next morning. Two large trunks had been laid out and they were packing clothing and equipment into them. Rhett had been locked securely in his cage after breakfast so that the door to their chambers could be left wide open without anyone having to worry about Rhett trying to escape. Uniformed servants came and went with more clothes, presumedly for Rhett. 

They avoiding looking at him as much as possible and skirting right around the cage as though Rhett might shift and lunge for them at any given moment. He had watched with great interest for the first hour but soon got bored. He wondered just how heavily guarded he would be once they left this godforsaken room. 

Perhaps on the road he would finally be able to attempt a real escape…

“You will need to bathe before we see the king.” Martel said, interrupting his line of thought.

“We are going to see the king again?” Rhett asked with trepidation. The general smirked.

“Yes. He wants a final debrief before we leave tomorrow. The servants will load the trucks with the last of the supplies whilst the meeting is going on.” The last of the servants scurried from their quarters after dropping off tow trays for their lunch, closing the heavy door behind them with a resounding click. Martel went around and unlocked the cage. Rhett crawled out.

He went over to the table and sat on his usual cushion at Janos’s side. The trays were covered with a variety of sandwiches. Janos began picking a few out to feed to Rhett. 

“On the way, you will have our permission to feed yourself at the table with the other soldiers providing you keep a civil tongue and follow orders.” Martel said, selecting a sandwich for himself. Rhett looked over at him in surprise. 

“You will bathe with us, sleep in our tent and travel in our cargo truck. You are not to attempt to go anywhere without one of us by your side.” the general said, his burning red irises fixed on Rhett’s face. Feeling unnerved, Rhett distracted himself with taking a large bite of the offered food.

“Your presence in this is to be a symbol. The use of your legs and mouth is subjective.” Martel said levelly. 

"Do you understand pet?" Janos asked, watching his face closely.

"Yes." Rhett said resentfully. Martel raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, what?" 

"Yes masters." He ground out. They ate quietly for a short while, Rhett feeling Martel's eyes on him.

"Janos, see to it the preparations are going to schedule. I will bathe our pet here and bring him to the king." 

"I'll see you there." Janos purred, he leant forward and pressed his lips to the other man's. Martel gave a low lazy purr, his fingers twisting in Janos's long hair. Janos looked pleased with himself as he drew away and headed for the door.

"Don't be too hard on him." He crooned at his lover. Rhett felt a small shiver of fear skate down his spine. Martel's eyes looked over bright. He didn't say anything. When the door shut, the red irises fixed on Rhett.

"Get up pet and follow me." He said in a low voice. Rhett stood on wobbly legs, his body already anticipating what was to come. They stepped into the enormous bathroom. Martel strode over to the deep bath and turned on the water. Steam wafted up as it began to fill. In a much shorter time then Rhett would have liked, it was deep enough for him to get in.

His nipples pebbled as he sat, shivering at the delicious warmth that spread up from the water. He watched nervously as the general stripped out of his attire to join him.

“Janos is so hopeful that you will be on your best behaviour.” Martel murmured as he wadded in. 

“I have my doubts.” He added. 

“I have put considerable thought into having you in chastity for the journey. About caging up your pretty cock and keeping you frustrated. We would still play with you, fuck you…” Those long-clawed fingers slid around Rhett’s throat, making his breathe hitch.

“Feed from you and bite you but you, little pup, would not get an orgasm until I am completely satisfied with your submission.” Rhett swallowed audibly. What the incubus was describing was nothing short of torture. During his training he had been edged for days but he had at least been able to calm down in his bed. Somehow, he didn’t think long bathes and soothing aftercare would come as readily when they were on a war march. 

“I won’t misbehave.” His voice was raspy even to his own ears. Martel gave a snort.

“No? You can’t even remember to address us properly here. I think this journey will be good for you. You require discipline and structure so you will have it. Come here and get on your knees.” Rhett waded over. He began to kneel in front of the man. This was the shallow end of the bath but even so, the water came up to his neck as he did so. He was completely encompassed in warmth. 

He had the briefest flashback to his very first night in this place before long fingers gripped his hair and he was forced to stare up at the powerfully built demon. The man’s curved cock was already hard and waiting. Rhett’s mouth watered. 

“Who am I?” Martel purred, his fingers winding tight.

“My master.” Rhett croaked. Martel placed the tip of his cock to Rhett’s lips. He opened his mouth and the silky hardness slid over his tongue. Martel pushed forward. The boy whined softly as the long cock slid down his throat. Martel held there for just a moment, enjoying the hot warm mouth before he drew back. Rhett coughed a little and took in several quick breathes.

“Say it again pet.” The general tugged on his hair, making him look back up. 

“Master.” The cock slid back in passed those swollen lips. Rhett sucked and moaned, his own erection aching in the water as Martel used him. The head of the man’s dick pressed deep, blocking off his airway. The action didn’t worry as much as it used to. They had been mercilessly training he gag reflex to accept their cocks. Another few moments, his nose pressed into the dark curls of Martel’s pubic hair before he was allowed a few precious breathes.

“Sat it again.” Came the order.

“Master.” Rhett’s own cock was throbbing. He longed to reach a hand down and stroke himself, but he knew he wouldn’t be allowed. Martel hadn’t given him permission to do anything other then service the cock in front of him. 

“Again.”

"Master."

Rhett allowed himself to relax, his tongue to dance, his lips to suck. His body became a toy for his master’s pleasure. He moaned softly at a particularly brutal thrust down his gullet, drool sliding down his chin. It went on until Martel felt his own cock swelling. He pulled out of the well trained mouth and looked down at him.

“You won’t forget again, will you slave?” He asked, running the tip along the boy’s lower lip.

“No master.” Rhett panted. 

“Drink.” Rhett wrapped his lips around the tip and sucked, his other hand coming up to massage the man’s balls the way Rhett knew he enjoyed. Martel gave a quite groan. His hips twitched, once, twice and the cock quivered. Hot cum spilled over his tongue and Rhett swallowed heavily. The few drops he missed dripped into the water.

“Perhaps you aren’t completely untrainable.” The general mused. 

“Stand up, turn around, put your hands on the edge of the bath.” Rhett leapt up, splashing water everywhere as he hurried to obey. If he didn’t do or say anything stupid, his master might allow him to cum. A hand kneaded one warm cheek of his ass. He shivered and stuck his ass out further.

“Look at you. The proud little wolf. Do you want something slave?” 

“Please, I want to cum.” He whimpered. Martel hummed, passing his hand over the firm ass and between his slave’s legs. He stroked the leaking cock, tugged gently on the full balls. Rhett shuddered.

“That’s too bad. You won’t be coming today pet. Do better next time.” The sound that left Rhett’s throat was embarrassingly pathetic. Martel ignored it. He took up a wash clothe and soap and began to wash Rhett down. He had no interest in mercy. He stroked strong soapy hands over every inch of Rhett’s body. He slid two fingers into the tight hole, forcing Rhett right up onto his toes as his prostate was played with. His knuckled were white on the side of the bath from gripping so hard.

At long last Martel declared him done and ordered him out. He did so on very shaky legs. It took a long time for him to calm down enough for his cock to soften. By the time it had, Martel was redressed, clipped a lead to Rhett’s collar and leading him from their quarters. 

Janos met them a few corridor downs. He grinned at the sight of Rhett’s flushed skin.

There were even more people here then last time, the hall seemed packed to bursting except for the throne itself and the path that cut straight down the centre. The king beckoned them forward with a lazy wave of his hand.

“Are you ready to go, my generals?” 

“All the preparations have been completed sire.” Martel said with a bow. The king turned his hell fire eyes onto Rhett. Rhett’s heart seemed to jolt painfully in his chest. He didn’t look away though, his hands clench into fists at his sides.

“And what about my wolf? Are you ready to be the puppet you were born to be?” Rhett fought the urge to shout. The demon was baiting him, that much was obvious. He couldn’t do anything about either.

“If that is what you think you need me to be.” He grit out. He heard several gasps, a few uttered swears and a lot of muttering. Martel and Janos only smiled. If he didn’t know any better, he might have thought they looked proud. 

“Sire is this disrespectful pup truly necessary to our campaign? Surely, a better-behaved shifter with more years of experience…” Said an angry looking man with pure red eyes that offset his jet-black hair.

“I don’t want a broken doll. I want a walking talking plaything with a little grit. Someone believable.” The king replied lazily, still not looking away from Rhett. Unable to stop himself Rhett blurted out

“I don’t suppose you have many slaves that have cause a riot.” He locked eyes with the incubus with the black hair. It was obvious the older man detested him. The man’s lip curled in a sneer, showing off several long sharp teeth. To the shock of the hall, the king laughed. Rhett looked back at him, his own body starting to sweat with an instinctual fear that he was growing to hate and dread. 

“You think I chose you because you graffitied a human monument and impaired a few ships?” The king asked with another laugh. The sound sent chill terror down Rhett’s spine. 

“No boy, I chose you for what you can become. A beast not seen in thousands of years.” The murmuring around the room grew. Rhett swallowed hard. 

So, he knew. The demon smirked.

“Canis Dirus.” Said the king. The room was deathly quiet. In truth, the only two incubus who had seen him in his wolf form for a proper extended period of time was Janos and Martel. He glanced at them both. Neither looked surprised by this little reveal. 

“The true reason I wanted this animal. He is far more then even my own soldiers realized. Tell me, how many of you have a seen a wolf that stands over three feet tall at the shoulder?” Silence. Shock. Realisation. Rhett read these expressions on the faces of several in their audience. 

“The shifters have always been a source of enormous fascination to me. Most humans can only shift into contemporary animals, anything from a duck to elephant but every now and again, there comes along something spectacular. For there is no real restriction on these shifting abilities, nothing to say that the animal must be currently living. It was one of the great wonders of your species that our scientists are yet to fully understand.” The king was smiling and looking at Rhett as though he were seeing a particularly juicy steak. Rhett shivered.

“We suspect, though have not yet proved without a doubt that there is no reason why a shifter could not become any animal that the human race has encountered in its existence. It is the reason we haven’t found any iguanodon or allosaurus walking down the street. Dinosaurs and humans have never co-existed. Dire wolves though…” A powerfully built incubus with the pure red eyes of Martel or Janos stepped forward.

“Sire, this boy can become such an animal?” He didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from asking. 

“Obviously.” The world fell silent again. Primarily because it was both the king and Rhett who had spoken the word. Rhett was tingling all over. He was itching to shift, right here right now. He wanted to become something that would tip the scale of predator and prey. 

“The beast is not trained.” Martel said. The tone was even, matter-of-fact. The king nodded.

“No, I don’t expect it would be.” He was still watching Rhett intently, almost greedily. 

“Yet.”

“Ever.” Rhett hissed back, unable to stop himself again. The king’s smirk widened.

“Come then boy, strike me down.” Rhett ground his teeth together. He willed himself to go, to attack but he couldn’t do it. The king snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground in front of him.

“Come here little pup.” To Rhett’s horror, his legs began to move. He walked close to this towering figure that reeked of coal, brimstone, and death. His legs buckled and his knees struck the marble floor painfully. He was left panting for breath, head bowed. Tears of anger and frustration bit into the corners of his eyes. 

“What are you?” He choked out. A long ash pale finger tilted his chin up. 

“Something much older than your history had recorded. Something beyond your comprehension.” The king murmured, his voice so low, Rhett was sure the words were just for him.

It seemed inconceivable that any creature could defy a creature like this. How can anyone start a war with this demon? How could anyone conceivably win? A thumb stroked down his cheek.

“The incubus who defy me are little more then wayward children. Children must be brought into line and to heel. But you grant me the ability to do so and win public favour at the same time.” Rhett was starting to feel sick. His throat had dried up. 

“My poor pup. You were so desperate to make a difference, so desperate to belong somewhere. Well now you do. You belong to me.”

“You’re evil.” Rhett forced out. It was barely a whisper. The king didn’t look offended by this statement. If anything, he looked mildly amused. 

“Ah yes. The evil conqueror, killing so many little humans. Never mind that the human race was breeding itself into starvation. Never mind that humans were perfectly happy killing each other long before we came, segregating one another based on things as ridiculous as pigment and affordability.” The king said lazily, his eyes blazing.

“Are you interested in knowing that though my kind have existed for longer then your own species, never once has slavery been a part of our own history? Incubus have never turned one another into objects.” Rhett was biting his own tongue so hard, he tasted blood. 

“You humans needed a good cull. Never before has this planet started to recover since your species over ran it. Not until now. Not until we gave it the opportunity.” 

“We were improving. We were getting better.” Rhett whispered. The king snorted.

“You think by inventing straws made from avocado pits you were making up for the immense amount of waste and damage the human race was causing? Hardly. A fool’s dream. Occam's razor is a human theory I rather like. The simplest solution to a problem is often best and the problem was there were to many of you.” 

Rhett raised his head, his own eyes bleeding into black and gold.

“Would you be so blunt if it was your own kind?” He growled quietly.

“Naturally. Why do think this little incubus rebellion exists?” The king sighed. Rhett was rendered speechless. There was quiet all around the huge hall as the crowd listened. The king stood. Rhett’s legs wouldn’t yet allow him to do the same, leaving him hunch at the king’s feet.

“I won’t tolerate it. You will come with me tomorrow, little wolf and help me illuminate the unsightly from my kingdom. Perhaps it will finally break you out of this little fantasy you have woven for yourself.” The king stepped towards the entrance.

“Come wolf, I want to see you.” Rhett felt it second before he heard the words both inside and outside his head. It was like a sharp sickening wrench from deep inside his chest. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped but no sound came out. For the first time since his very first transformation, Rhett’s beast was coming out without his consent.

He fell forward onto his hands, the bones crunching inside his body. Fur spread down his arms, the nails thickening. Faster even then his own transformation, his joints and muscles reshaped. He grew, his skull extending and his teeth sharpening.

The crowd of onlookers backed away sharply as an enormous grey and white wolf appeared where the boy had been. There was the sound of something metallic hitting the stone floor. Its intelligent eyes swept the crowd and a deep low growl rumbled from its throat. 

“Quite impressive.” The king said. The beast locked gazes with him. The animal paced in front of the throne, its paws soundless on the marble. It considered the incubus king, knowing with instinct alone that this man was something ancient and dangerous. It tilted its massive head, long canines exposed. 

The guards all had their weapons drawn. Their fear and uncertainty only seemed to make the animal more aggressive. The fur on its hackles rose and the growl grew louder, vibrating through its huge chest. 

“Sit.” The command rattled the glass in the light fixtures and sent lesser Incubus to their knees. The wolf froze but did not obey. Then, slowly, very slowly, the animal sat back on its haunches.

“The boy may not wish to obey but his beast is not stupid.” The king said, apparently satisfied. The crowd watched breathlessly as the king placed his hand on the beast’s head, stroking the soft thick fur. The wolf continued to growl but it did not attack.

“Are you heartened now generals?” He asked the seven men to his left. They all, Janos and Martel included, bowed to their king.

“We are ready to follow you sire.” The king smirked. 

“Of course, you are.” He turned to face the room at large.

“We leave at dawn.”

\--

END

\--


	12. Onwards and Forwards

-

Chapter Twelve

Onwards and Forwards

\--

When Rhett woke, he was quite unsure of where he was. The world was rocking gently. At first, he wondered if he was ill again. At least he didn’t feel like throwing up this time. It was only after the sleep had properly dissipated that he realised the rocking came from the fact that he was inside a vehicle. 

He felt oddly shaky. He had never been forced to shift like that before. He had no idea that such a thing was even possible, that an outside power could force a human to go through the shift against their will. What was worse, he couldn’t remember anything afterwards. When he focused, all he could remember was those burning, unfeeling red pits of the king’s eyes. 

Then… nothing. 

In the gloom of the truck interior, he could see the outline of cage bars. He felt the soft surface and recognised it as his dog bed. How kind of them. He shifted gingerly. He felt off somehow, like something was missing.

The even motion of the truck told him they were still on the main road. He could distantly hear other traffic but not much else. With little other choice, he laid back down. He expected to have to wait for a long time before the truck stopped but it couldn’t have been more then half an hour before he felt the vehicle slow and turn. He listened intently to the rumbling engine. It cut out, leaving a ringing silence. The heavy doors opened, leaving Rhett blinking rapidly as his eyes tried to adjust to outside light. A familiar scent was blown to him and he shivered.

“Sleep well pup?” Janos, in his full military uniform stepped up into the truck. Now that Rhett could see, he peered around. There were several neatly packed boxes, strapped down and labelled with various supplies. Beyond Janos, Rhett could make out several more camouflage painted vehicles parking. He must have been asleep for a lot longer then he first thought because the sun was high in the sky.

“Your armies have air craft. Why aren’t we flying to where ever the hell we are going?” Rhett growled, sitting up.

“Tone, pet.” Said Martel’s voice. The other general was standing by the door, looking down at a tablet.

“You forget, the enemy is also incubi. They have plenty of anti-air craft weapons. Enough to make it too much of a risk. Besides, we can get closer with regular vehicle without being seen.” Janos opened the padlock to the cage. Rhett moved but as he opened the door, he put a hand up to stop him.

“Remember what we said pet. Your best behaviour. No one is allowed to touch you without our permission but just because we aren’t in our quarters doesn’t mean we will be relaxing any of the rules.” 

“I understand.” Rhett said quietly. Janos stepped back and Rhett was finally able to stand up.

“We need to give you your new clothes and collar.” Rhett’s eyes widened. His hand flew up to his throat. He had been so distracted with what had happened he hadn’t even realised that his usual collar was gone. Now he knew what it was that had felt off when he had first woken.

“When?” Rhett croaked. Had they taken it off once he had fallen asleep?

“You truly don’t remember? I suppose it isn’t to surprising.” Janos said smugly. Martel held out something long and limp. Rhett looked down at it. It was the metal linked collar. Or at least, it used to be. It had been severed; the metal cut cleanly through like clean scissor blades through soft rubber.

“The king cut it from you neck after he ordered you to shift.” Martel said. Rhett shook his head. 

“I don’t…” The idea that the demon had cut through the thick metal with only his claws sent a shiver of fear right through him.

“You have been issued a new collar, one more suitable for our purposes. It is no longer practical for you to wear a collar that needs to be manually adjusted, not when we could be ambushed. The new collar you wear will grow and shrink as you shift. It is controlled by myself and Janos. It will chime when you are allowed to shift. Try to do so without our permission and it will apply an electric shock.” 

For maybe half a second it crossed Rhett’s mind that he was uncollared and outside for the first time in months. He breathed in a lung full of cold air. But as that exciting and terrifying thought bloomed in his brain, just as quickly did he notice Janos. His free hand was resting on his gun. Martel might have been looking at the tablet bu his eyes weren't moving. They were still watching him.

“Wonderful.” Rhett muttered miserably. Long fingers tilted his chin. Martel had reached out. He was surprised by the gentleness of the kiss the general gave him. As the warm lips brushed his own, he thought he caught something akin to pity in the man’s expression. He was drawn down off the truck bed. He wobbled a bit on landing and stared down. It felt so good to have earth and grass under his feet. As he inhaled, he could scent passed the exhaust fumes to the achingly familiar smells of damp soil, dried leaves and wet grass.

What month was it?

“Get dressed.” Martel murmured, startling him. The general ran a thumb along his jaw. Rhett swallowed and took the small bundle of clothes Janos pressed into his arms. The uniform was a simple set of dark trousers and pull over white shirt. No underwear, no socks. Still, it was better than nothing. Sort of.

He pulled on his merge clothes. The clothe felt stiff and scratchy against his chest. Clothing in general was still alien to him. Rhett tried not the fidget as Martel fixed on his new collar. It was just as snug as the old one but smoother and lighter. 

“Come pet, we need to introduce to the men and our new lieutenant.” Rhett followed the generals. Martel went in front and Janos walked behind. He felt as though he were being led to the firing squad. 

All around them men in uniform were climbing down from trucks. The doors or soft top roofs of the vehicles were pulled out creating odd sort of tent spaces inside them. As they walked past, he caught glimpses of people setting up cots or swags, pulling down side compartments to make little shelves or organising boxes and bags.

“We are stopping here tonight then?” Rhett asked.

“Yes. The food station will be over here along with bathroom facilities. We are far enough away that we can have fires but once we are closer the human occupants will be eating from rations.” Martel explained. Rhett’s eyebrow went up.

“There are other humans here?” He said trying not to sound too excited.

“Of course, pet. What do you think my men will be eating?” That… was not a comforting thought. Perhaps something in his tone had given his excitement away because Martel added.

“Don’t worry pup. Every human here is well trained and knows their masters well.” They walked past a small group of people who appeared to be unloading cooking utensils. There was the smell of smoke.

“Lieutenant Riley.” Martel addressed a tall but relatively waferish man with a short cropped brown hair and a hard jaw line. The incubus appeared relatively young, or at last younger than Janos and he was looking at Rhett with open dislike. Defensively, Rhett glared back.

“Sir.” Said the incubus.

“Come meet our new pet. I know you’ve heard all about him.” The man strode over and looked Rhett up and down. 

Lieutenant Riley… why was that name so familiar? The man’s face twisted from stoic into a snarl. It was the only warning he got before the incubus dropped his shoulder and punched him hard in the gut. Rhett doubled over, coughing violently.

“I put a lot of time into building that carrier.” The man snarled. Rhett looked up, meeting his glare with gold irises.

“Well you did a shit job. It took me less than ten minutes to tear it apart.” He sneered. 

The incubus gave a low hiss but he didn’t take another step forward.

“What’s the matter? Scared?” Rhett spat. He saw the lieutenant straighten, his heels snapping together. It was the only warning Rhett got before a large hand grabbed him hard by the back of the neck.

“Five minutes. You couldn’t last five minutes without misbehaving.” Janos sighed.

“Are we ignoring the part where he gut punched me!?” Rhett spluttered as he was dragged backwards. He saw a smirk stretch across Riley’s face. There were many more soldiers moving around the camp now, several of them stopping to watch. Rhett could feel his face burning with humiliation. 

“You did destroy his carrier.” Janos said honestly. 

“I didn’t-” Rhett spluttered

“Perhaps this is his way of telling us he doesn’t like his new clothes.” Martel mused as he marched Rhett through the camp. 

“You did want to get everyone introduced to him. What better way then a demonstration?” Janos said happily. 

“You said they wouldn’t touch me.” Rhett shouted, planting his feet. Fear was making him sweat.

“They won’t pet. Don’t worry.” People started to follow the generals as they walked.

“Over here I think.”

“Who wants to help us get him ready?” Martel said to the rising excitement of the crowd. Rhett was jerked forward. Janos pulled him forward towards a what looked like a children’s playground. There was an orange metal slide, several swings and three metal hanging bars at different heights. He was pulled towards the highest of these and his arms were jerked up and fastens above him. His new shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his chest. He could only just stand on the balls of his feet.

He cursed as Janos unbuttoned and removed his trousers, his face flushed. He couldn’t deny what the general’s touch always did to him and his body was already reacting. 

“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Janos cooed. Rhett shivered at the intense gazes of several red eyes. He had never before in his life put himself on display like this. So why the fuck was he still so hard!? 

Whether it be his conditioning or the fact that both generals were so close but he was just as painfully erect as ever.

“He is certainly something to look at sir.” Said a dark hair incubus, whose eyes were fixed on Rhett. 

“He’s lovely.” Said another voice from somewhere behind him. Rhett gasped as a hand swatted his ass hard.

“You were just given a complement pet. Say thank you.” Martel purred. 

“Thank you, sir.” Rhett choked out

“He makes such wonderful noises. Should we give a demonstration?” Janos asked to loud cheers and cat calls from the other men. Rhett grit his teeth. He wanted to scream that he was not a toy for them to play with but before he could speak, a hand wound into his hair and his head was pulled back. 

“Mind that attitude of your pet. I told you we would break you out it.”

“You won’t break me.” Rhett hissed. The incubus smirked, exposing a lethal fang.

"I do love that spirit in you." Martel kissed him, his toungue tracing the roof of Rhett's mouth.

“He’s got a great ass.” Janos cooed, rubbing a gloved hand over Rhett’s cheeks. Rhett bit back a groan, his body tensing for the blow that was to come. Janos didn’t disappoint. Four swats landed, alternating cheeks. They weren’t particularly hard and softened further by the gloves. He gasped as Martel’s large hand cupped his balls. 

“Sensitive?” 

“Yes master.” Rhett said, trying to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t want to piss the man off when he was in such an intensely vulnerable position. He gasped at the cold feel of a now naked lubed finger slicking his hole. 

“Do you think we can make him cum without even touching his cock?” Janos asked his lover.

“I think so.” Martel said lazily.

“Do you like that idea pet? Having Janos fist your ass until you beg? I think you’ll finish tonight on your knees, quietly sucking our cocks. Does that excite you?” Rhett couldn’t lie no matter how badly he wanted to. Undoubtedly, they had already seen his cock twitch at the words. They would punish him for lying. 

“Yes master.” 

“Good boy.” Martel rewarded him with another kiss just as Janos slid that long finger inside his ass. Rhett groaned into the kiss, his ass clenching. Janos patted his hip with a free hand

“Relax pup.” Janos purred. A small, slightly hysterical laugh burst from Rhett’s throat. Relax? He had never been so nervous, embarrassed, aroused or terrified in his fucking life. The ropes gave another worrying creak as Rhett yanked on them and pain flared along his wrists. 

“Easy pet.” Martel murmured, nuzzling his ear. Rhett was reeling. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. The two seemed content to work him over as slow as possible as the crowd gathered in number. Rhett felt as though he were on fire. There was the cut of claws, the scrape of fangs and those long fingers slowly stretching his sore hole. Every now and again they would graze that bundle of nerves inside him. 

“Can we pierce his nipples when we get back?” Janos begged. Martel hummed and took one of the erect nubs in his mouth to suck. Rhett moaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the stares of so many.

“Perhaps some little bars.” Martel purred in agreement before switching to the other nipple. 

“Nnn.” Rhett rasped. 

“No? Trust me pet, you will love them. In fact, let’s experiment. Neither of us are going to touch your cock pet. You will cum on command with the stimulation from your nipples and ass alone.” There was a time when Rhett have sworn that was impossible, that he could never cum without a hand or mouth on his dick. Now he wasn’t so sure. His body was near desperate to try though. Clear fluid leaked from the cap of his throbbing cock and the cool even air made it sting with cold. 

Martel sucked hard on the side of his throat as his fingers twisted and rubbed at Rhett damp sensitive nipples. Rhett squirmed in his rope bindings, whimpering and arching. A strong hand on his hip held his pelvis still as Janos slid a third slick finger into his channel, stretching him wide. Rhett’s toes curled in the grass.

“Good?” Janos asked, twirling his fingers and thrusting them in and out of the warm channel.

“Yes!” Rhett yelped. 

More lube was trickled down his crack, Janos catching it up and plunging his hand with more speed into the slick stretched hole. Rhett's head was spinning. He tugged uselessly on the ropes, feeling how exposed he was. Pleasure enveloped his senses and loosened his clenched jaw until he was moaning aloud. Martel ran cool lips along his neck and jaw, offsetting the fiery pain in his nipples the general plucked at. He would have begged if he could string two words together. As it was, he could only quiver and moan. 

“His legs are shaking.” A voice said in an almost awed tone.

Every swirl of Janos’s hand caused a small sting a pain that thickly contrasted the hot pleasure coiling in his loins. His hips bucked and Janos gave his inner thigh a sharp slap as punishment. He felt stretched to his limit as the knuckles of Janos’s hand pressed against his aching hole. More slickness, more pressure and finally the man’s hand breached his sphincter to the wrist. 

Martel swallowed his shout in a hard kiss, one thumb gently rubbing his right nipple whilst fingers cruelly twisted the left. He trembled all over, tugging uselessly at his bounds. The world was falling away from around him, the red eyes of the onlookers hazy. He was dancing along that familiar knife edge of orgasm, his conditioning holding him from going over. He wrenched on ropes, whining and incoherent with desperation. 

“Please!” He managed to shout. 

Janos pressed a kiss to his left buttock, pulsing his hand in and out gently, fingers rubbing over that gland again and again until Rhett though he was going to go insane. He needed to cum so badly. He tasted blood in his mouth and hadn’t realized that his teeth had sharpened. His eyes had turned gold and black and his world shrank down to the two men working his body over. 

“Look at me pet.” Rhett struggled to bring Martel’s gorgeous face into sharper perspective, the powerful man almost nose to nose with him. He panted, chasing oxygen, tears of frustration blurring his vision. 

“Cum.” A sound that was a near inhuman howl broke from his throat. Janos slid his hand free as Rhett’s hips jerked violently. Martel stepped to one side, admiring the view as a spray of white cum shot from Rhett’s untouched cock. The orgasm seemed to drag up from his very core, taking out his limbs as it slithering up his body. Rhett sagged, spent and completely gone from the world.

“Help me get him down love.” He heard Martel say. He sounded very far away, like a television left on in another room. Someone took his weight and his wrists were freed. He wasn’t able to comprehend much more until several long minute later. He had been lain down on some blankets in the back of one of the huge trucks, his head on Martel’s thigh.

The general was gently running long elegant fingers through Rhett’s messy hair. He shivered as Janos cleaned his sensitive body with a damp cloth. Rhett could faintly make out the murmur of conversation and the warmth from one of the nearby camp fires before he drifted into a doze. 

He came to as he was jostled.

“Sir, the patrol we sent ahead has come back.” Said the voice of Lieutenant Riley. He sounded anxious. Rhett struggled to blink away the sleep. 

“And? Why have they not come to us directly?” Martel said sharply in his deep voice.

“Because sir, only one of the men made it back. He is in a very bad condition.” Riley murmured. Martel cursed.

“How can the rebels be this close to the city already?” Janos asked with genuine alarm. It was not an emotion Rhett was used to hearing from the generals. 

“Probably a few teams were sent ahead to scout and they crossed paths with out own scouts. We will know soon. The solider is feeding now. The blood should heal most of his wound, enough for him to talk.” Said a voice Rhett didn’t recognise. The was a heavy silence for a moment.

“I hope the wolf can perform how the king needs. It looks as though we may need him sooner then expected.” Even in his exhaustion, Rhett could feel the weight of their gaze and shivered. 

He didn’t know what was coming, but he doubted it could be anything good.

\--

END

\--


	13. Best Kept Appearances

\--

Chapter Thirteen

Best Kept Appearances 

\--

Rhett felt very exposed as he walked through the camp the next morning. He wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when he had woken in his cage to Martel telling him to come out and get dressed. He thought these soldiers would hate him, much like Lieutenant Riley. He had been the enemy and now he was a prisoner. He had steeled himself for sneering remarks. 

As they walked, he caught glimpses of their faces. Oddly, the expressions he saw ranged from desire, to wonder, to curiosity rather than hatred or disgust. So much so that his own face was rather red by the time they stopped for food.

Janos passed him a bowl of porridge and a spoon. Rhett stared at it. This was the first time he had been allowed to feed himself since his capture. He glanced at Martel who was watching him closely.

“Eat pet. We have a lot of work to do today,” he murmured. Rhett fumbled with the spoon for a moment and scooped up the porridge. Clothing, being able to eat with utensils, they were almost treating him like a real person. He ate uncomfortably. Martel had drawn his attention back to his tablet which now sat across the general’s legs.

“Today will mark your first mission.” Martel sat, still looking at his screen. Rhett nearly choked on his breakfast.

“What will I be doing, master?” Rhett forced out after he had swallowed. 

“We sent a scouting party ahead yesterday. Only one has come back. He is in a bad condition but was able to report that they were intercepted. We have a direction. We need to track the missing soldiers and determine if they yet still live. For that, we will need the wolf’s nose,” Martel explained. Rhett stiffened.

“Do you believe they are still alive?” Rhett asked carefully. Janos shook his head.

“What we believe is irrelevant. We have our orders. We will follow them,” He said. Rhett was struck with the realisation that out here, perhaps the generals were just as bound by their rules as Rhett was. Sort of. 

He forced down a little more food only because he knew it would probably be awhile before he could eat again. It was difficult though. His throat didn’t seem to be working to well. As soon as he placed the bowl down Martel stood up with a nod.

“Let’s go.”

Rhett was led swiftly through the camp. Soldiers were taking down tents and swags. It was dawning on him just how many incubi were here. They passed a couple of human servants but not a single one met Rhett’s eye, as though terrified. A large tent with a red cross stood with it flaps tethered open. They went inside. The smell of antiseptic, blood bags and other chemicals made Rhett dry retch and his eyes water. 

“Stay there,” Martel said. Janos stayed with Rhett near the entrance where the fresh air helped easing the smell of burning chemicals. Small makeshift cubicles had been set up. From what he could tell, most of them were empty. Martel disappeared behind a curtain for a few minutes. When he came back, he was holding the blood tattered remains of a jacket. He passed it to Janos before turning back to their pet. 

“Shift,” He ordered. The collar chimed. Rhett hesitated, his eyes flicking to the blood-soaked fabric.

“Now.” Martel’s voice was hard. From somewhere on his right, Rhett caught the movement of Janos’s hand settling on his holster. Rhett closed his eyes and let go of his human form.

His ears picked up the murmurs of nearby soldiers as the massive dire wolf hit the grass on four paws. The collar gave another beep.

“Remember pet, do anything we don’t approve of and the collar will shock you. Attack us, and regardless of the collar, we will put a bullet in you. Be wise,” Martel warned. Soldiers and servants alike scattered in alarm. A nurse who has stepped from the medic tent quickly ducked back inside, her face pale. 

"Watch me." Martel murmured. The canine fixed glowing gold eyes on the general. They had discussed protocol for the dire wolf but they had not had the time to test any of it. He could only hope on the beast's intelligence to understand or they would have to put it out of commission until after the mission was over. Martel pressed a finger to the metal band on his wrist. The collar buzzed.

The wolf gave a low, growl, the sound vibrating deeply. The onlooking soldiers shifted. Many of them had not seen a shifter this size before though many were as old as Martel. 

"That vibration will tell you when to stop. When I want you to stop," They stood for a moment, two killers unnaturally still. Then, slowly the wolf lifted its muzzle and licked his hand. The onlookers seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Good boy," Martel murmured, running his hand through the thick fur. He led his wolf away. Five armoured incubi waited on the edge of the camp. Martel had specially chosen them to join the hunt. Each was well trained with many kills to their name. Even so, he saw the widening of their eyes as the wolf came towards them. He gave a nod to Janos who came forward with the bloody jacket.

"We're going hunting pet," Janos purred. Martel silently hoped his lover would control his blood lust. This was only the youngers second active combat mission. He could not watch them both. The dire wolf sniffed at the material, its top lip curling back. 

"Be ready to move," Martel ordered to his men. The wolf nosed the ground. It shifted from one paw to the other as it decided its heading. 

The incubus had to set a quick jog to keep up with the animal's swift trot. It was a fast pace but one they could reasonably hold for a while even with weapons and armour. Any packs had been left behind at the camp. The generals doubted they would go far into the woodlands. The soldier had been too badly wounded to have come from too far away. 

Still, as they crossed the opened road and went down into the gully on the other side, Martel wondered just how far the man had staggered. The further they travelled, the more concerned he became. They followed what looked be a deer trail. Splatters of blood marked crushed leaves and snapped twigs. 

The wolf trotted along with its head up now. There was no need for it to snuff out a trail. The smell of blood was now thick enough in the air that even a mundane human could smell it. Weapons were drawn. They were getting very close. The dire wolf rounded a corner in the trail, moving passed an outcrop of tall mossy boulders. The incubus followed stealthily. Martel watched the fur of the animal's back stand on end. The wolf stopped, head thrown up, ears forward, looking at a gap between the trees. The general came up beside and stared into the clearing. Janos swore. 

This wasn't a battle. It was a massacre. 

At first glance, it was difficult to guess just how many lay dead. It was only by counting the heads (most unattached) could they determine that five soldiers were here. Bits of viscera lay strewn around the clearing. It was a ridiculous, over the top, almost childlike mess of muscle, bones and organs. Intestines hung grotesquely from a low tree branch, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. The grass had been churned up and pressed down under boots, paws and thickened pool of blood.

With great slowness, Martel stepped into the clearing. When Janos and the others made to follow, he shook his head and they went still. Only the wolf came out with him. The presence of the enormous canine was oddly comforting. Though its ears swivelled and its head swayed this way and that at the sight of the gore, it did not look alarmed. The animal was alert but it sensed no living presence it did not recognise. 

Limbs had been severed crudely, not at shoulder or elbow but half way along. Martel crouched down for a better look. Shards of bone and minced meat marked the edge of the wound. The humerus had been bitten through. 

Trees bore burn marks and bullet grazes from firearms. Martel paced the edges of the clearing. The boot prints were undoubtably from his own men. Though they were scattered, he was almost show there were no others. 

“What is this, sir?” Roman growled. He had hunted with Martel before. The wide scar across the bridge of his nose had been received that day. Martel glanced at him.

“They were ambushed here.”

“How did our man get all the way back to camp from here?” Janos asked. Martel gave an unpleasant smirk.

“Because they called off their hunt.”

“They allowed him to run back.” Janos concluded, lip curling. 

“Indeed,” Martel agreed.

“What did this?” This from one of the other soldiers, Noah. 

“It would seem that these rebels have their own pet,” Martel murmured. They all looked at the dire wolf. The animal had stopped walking about and was sniffing at the ground again. Its hackles were raised and its teeth were bared.

There, deeply embedded in the bloody earth was a wide deep paw print. Martel stared down at it, aware of his lover coming up carefully beside him.

"That looks a bear print," Janos murmured. Martel snorted. 

"That is a very, very large bear," he said. 

\--

When they got back to the camp, Rhett was not given the command to shift back. Instead, the two generals ushered him towards one of the massive supply trucks. Martell placed his hand on the edge of the open truck bay.

"Up." The dire wolf leapt easily into the back of the truck. 

It watched the man silently as the general grabbed hold of a canvas first aid bag and held it out expectantly. The wolf took it in his mouth by the handles.

“Good boy,” Martel ran his hand over the beast’s muzzle, petting. 

Stranger still, when Martel climbed out and led the wolf on, he didn’t seem to be taking Rhett anywhere. They just walked a lap of the huge camp before coming to stop at one of the cooking fires. Martel allowed the wolf to put down the pack. 

“Come sit,” Janos ordered and wolf obeyed, sitting by the fire. Soldiers and servants alike had given the large animal plenty of space. No one seemed so confident that the beast wouldn’t turn on them at any moment.

“You can shift back now pet,” Martel said. 

The shift back was oddly difficult. Rhett felt dazed, like the memories of the last few hours had been a grotesque dream. A bowl was pressed into his shaking hands.

“Eat some lunch. We still have a bit of preparation to do. You can rest in your quarters until we leave,” he added. Rhett stared numbly down into his bowl of what looked like beef casserole. In his mind he saw flashes of men’s bodies reduced to oozing slabs of meat. 

“I’m not hungry,” he rasped.

“Take a few mouthfuls at least,” Janos said without looking at him. He did manage to force down a little. It would have been tasty if his mind had been able to process. A water canteen was handed to and he took several deep painful gulps. He was allowed to relieve himself before being taken back to his ‘quarters’ which was, of course, the massive cage. Rhett didn’t mind though. He would be safe in there. As though sensing his unease, Martel pulled the black sheet over it, plunging Rhett into dark quiet. Rhett curled up in his blankets and pillows and closed his eyes, trying to distance himself from the memory of dripping blood and glazed dead eyes. 

\--

It was Janos that came to get him late in the afternoon. Feeling groggy, Rhett clumsily followed the taller man out of the truck bed and towards a massive tent that had been set up.

“We have something exciting to show you pet. We’ve just finished it,” Janos said brightly. Rhett tried not to sigh. He didn’t think this could be good, whatever it was. The afternoon smelt warm and fresh. There was a dampness to the air and Rhett wondered briefly if it would rain a little during the night. 

Inside the tent was several laptop computers. Janos gestured excitedly to one of the chairs. Taking the hint, Rhett sat down. He looked at the nearest screen.

“This may take some explaining. We have told you of the rouge unit of incubus that have been invading the king’s territory. What we didn’t mention was the damage they have done. This included the killing of a well know human family who openly supported the king’s reign. This has understandably put the human population on edge. The king wished for us to begin produce positive propaganda to enforce notion that the king empires works to secure safety for all humans and shifters. That is where you come in.” 

Rhett blinked, already not liking where this was going. The screen flicked to a video. Janos reach forward and tapped play. Rhett watched, feeling nauseas. It was the wolf, his wolf. One of the men in the group had been filming him over the course of the day. Just short clips, stitched artfully together. First it was Janos holding out the jacket for him to sniff, then it was the wolf leading the group of soldiers away from the camp. Nothing of the carnage laden ambush clearing with its decorative corpses. Instead there was a disgusting unrealistic clip of Janos picking up a stray fire arm as though Rhett had led him to it, the wolf's massive paw in the background of the shot.

Lastly were several clips of Rhett back in the camp, the wolf leaping up into the truck, carrying the fire aid kit, sitting by the fire. None of it was right. Stomach churning, he tore his eyes away from the screen to look at Martel.

"Wh, what is this?" he rasped. 

"You're not stupid pet. You know exactly what this is."

"So, I'm, what, your mascot?" Rhett choked out, feeling revolted by the very idea.

"More or less. We explained as much. The humans need to see a shifter at the heart of the incubus campaign, defending their rights and their homes," Martel explained blandly.

"What rights!?" Rhett's shout was slightly hysterical. The general placed his tablet carefully on a crate and began rolling up his sleeves.

"What rights? You forget pet, that most of your kind are perfectly content with their ordinary lives. The human race isn’t living naked in slaughter houses. They have their jobs, their homes. Not everyone is suicidal enough to bite the hand that feeds them," he said, fixing blazing eyes on his face.

"No one wanted this!" Rhett shouted, backing away as the man stepped towards him.

"Of course, not. Is freedom really what you want pup? What would you be if I set you free today? Would you go back to spray painting buildings and blowing up school computers? Perhaps you would get a job, tell me, what qualifications do you have?" Rhett opened his mouth and snapped it closed again, feeling his cheeks burning.

"None? Perhaps you would be a coffee server. That's a nice start. Would you be content, free in your mundane existence serving coffee on minimum wage? Do you even know how to live a normal life? Even before we took you from the streets?” he sighed. Rhett gaped at him.

“Fuck you. Fuck you to high hell,” Rhett gasped. His voice sounded raw and painful.

“I have had to fight for every little piece of humanity I have. Nothing was ever given to me. My own fucking parents were so inept they couldn’t even feed me. And all you can do is shit all over it. What the fuck do you know about me or my life!?” Rhett shouted, not caring if his voice carried to ears outside of the tent. He was shaking, his fists clenched. 

“So that would be your choice? Leave a life where you are pampered to live back on the streets?” 

“I’m a thing to you!” His shout cracked in the middle. A shadow fell over the computer screen. Janos had stood up behind him. Unfortunately, the sight of the second incubus only fuelled his panic and anger. Without thinking, his body tried to start the shift. There was an ominous beep. His brain registered it too late.

Pain radiated out from the collar as electricity burned through him. He screamed in pain, falling to his knees, fingers going to the metal. His back bowed and he keeled over. Almost as quickly as it started, the pain died away. His was pulled into someone’s lap. 

“Oh pet. How long is it going to take before you understand that you belong here with us?” Janos murmured. Rhett was held tight. He didn’t have the strength to shove away. His muscles twitched from the shock and his eyes burned. Martel held him for a long time until his limbs no longer twitched. Someone offered him a canteen of water. He took a few shaky sips. 

“I want to go home,” Rhett sobbed. 

“Tell me where that is pet,” Martel murmured in his ear. He couldn’t though because as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t have one. Home was an alien concept. He may as well have asked to go to the moon. So, he just shook his head instead, squeezing his eyes shut. The incubi murmured to him and petted him. His hair was swept off his face and his body was rocked gently. 

He wanted them to be cruel. He couldn’t handle this. Couldn’t escape the fact that no matter how his mind was against it, some part of him desperately needed the contact and the affection. Martel tipped up his chin and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. He could taste salt in the kiss. His cheeks were wet. A sound that could have a been a sob rasped from his throat. The two larger men held him for a long while, letting him cry until he felt wrung out and small. When Martel went to move away, Rhett grabbed at his, his knuckles white with the tight grip on the man’s lapel. 

“I’m right here pet. We aren’t going anywhere,” he murmured softly in his ear. 

Together Janos and his lover removed the plain clothes. Rhett shivered, his body reacting as it had been trained to. Right now, he wasn’t so sure he cared. He wanted to stop thinking for a while, to let himself be dragged under. Wet kisses became gentle bites and Rhett tipped his head back in invitation as a mouth found the curve of his throat and sucked hard. He gasped when skilled fingers found his hard cock and stroked. There was a familiar tinkling chime. They had brought his slave collar.

The tickling chains were fixed tight around his throat. He was laid back on the canvas, his hands buried in Janos’s long hair as the general lapped firmly against one pert nipple. The scent of rose oil assaulted his nose, making his head spin and his cock leak. He was turned over and Rhett automatically spread his legs to show off his twitching hole.

“Good boy,” Martel purred, rubbing a slick thumb over the tight pucker. Janos shifted. He sat in front of Rhett, his long pierced cock standing up straight just in front of Rhett’s nose. The musky scent made Rhett’s mouth water. He was ready for the hand in his hair. Rhett opened his mouth obediently taking the tip of that cock between his lips and sucking. Janos groaned, bucking a little. A moan echoed him as Martel slid two fingers inside Rhett’s tight ass. 

Martel prepared him with ruthless efficiency. Rhett squirmed in frustrated pleasure as those twisting plunging fingers hit his prostate. The boy fought to keep his hips still. The task was made next to impossible when a second oiled hand took hold of his aching balls and began to massage them. He moaned loudly.

Those wicked fingers sped up. Rhett’s toes curled, pleasure coiling thick and hot in his groin. He whined around the head of Janos dick, the silver ring clinking against his teeth. The hand in his hair tightened and he was pulled off. 

“Cum.” The order took him completely by surprise. They had barely started. His body was completely not his own though and his groin tightened, his gut clenched and his balls drew up. His back bowed at the intensity. That thumb kept massaging his vulnerable sack and Rhett let out a shout as his orgasm was ripped from him. The oiled hand moved to his jerking cock, strong, slow and hard until Rhett collapsed back onto his elbows, panting. 

He wasn’t given much time to recover though. Martel’s curved cock forced it ways inside of his ass moments later, stretching him harshly. Rhett gasped as the man pushed until his heavy balls rested snuggly against those round ass cheeks. Martel took a firm grip of his hips and started a deep slow pace. He pulled nearly all the way out before sliding in balls deep again. Each pause made Rhett sob. At least the man had enough mercy in him to avoid Rhett’s swollen prostate, giving him some time to recover himself.

Janos continually ran his fingers through Rhett’s messy curls. The fingers, scratching and rubbing. Rhett shuddered, utterly over sensitised. He tried to focus on the cock in his mouth but he had to pull away again when Martel shifted his angle. They worked him slowly. He was beginning to understand why they had allowed him a fast orgasm. They were intended to work his body for a long time. 

His conditioning meant that despite the insane orgasm, his cock was already beginning to harden again. He was grateful they weren’t touching it. He still felt raw. The new angle allowed the thick cock deeper into his ass. The sounds of their fucking filled the tent. He wasn’t sure how time passed, his brain lost in a fog of lust and pleasure. He loved the smooth rhythm, feeling every bit the helpless slave they wanted. Every hit to his prostate made him twitch. Rhett was holding on to Janos thighs for dear life. 

He was still working his mouth, his tongue lapping at the crowd and gathering the precum that leaked from there. Drool covered his chin. By the small thrusts and low groans that emitted from Janos’s throat, he knew the man was close. When Martel leant forward and captured Janos’s lips in a kiss, Janos’s hands tightened in Rhett’s hair. He was ready for it when the cock slid down his throat and blocked off his air. He felt it twitching hard and started to swallow.

“You’ll stay there pet, I’ll give the order right before you pass out,” Martel purred. He was really fucking into him now, the fat cock pounding wetly into Rhett’s hole. Rhett whined, eyes watering. He couldn’t breathe. The lack of oxygen was making his head spin. His eyes rolled up in his head. He was going to pass out. Martel growled. His fingers tightened on Rhett’s hips as he pumped.

“Cum.” The order came as Martel’s own pace stuttered, burying himself deep. Rhett would have screamed if he had been able. As it was, his throat still stuffed with cock, his hands scrambling at Janos’s thighs, he could see spots dancing in his vision. As his body convulsed into his second earth shattering orgasm, wetness flooded his hole. 

Janos pulled his limp cock from the boy’s mouth as their pet coughed and gagged. Martel picked Rhett up and carried him over to a bed. The boy’s eyes were completely unfocused. It would be awhile before he came back to himself. Martel stroked the sweat soaked hair from his eyes.

“You’ll understand soon that this is better. Your'e better off with us pet.” Rhett just stared up at the canvas ceiling, to exhausted to answer. 

\--

END

\--


	14. New Horrors

-

Chapter Fourteen

New Horrors

\--

Rhett woke once more inside his cage. The truck was moving and he knew the convoy had to be on the road again. It was dark, the sheet pulled into place. Rhett was grateful for it. He still felt raw and wrung out from his time with the generals and what they done. He couldn’t close his eyes a drift peacefully back into sleep either because those images of viscera and gore flashed behind his eye lids. He shivered and sat up.

Even in the gloom, he could see finger shaped bruised on his hip bones. They would heal quickly, probably be completely gone by the next day but the sight of him made him bite his lip. He felt ashamed by his breakdown. He felt even worse knowing that he reached for them for comfort. He rubbed at his face, feeling sullied inside and out.

The truck rattled along, the road under its numerous tyres losing its smoothness. Many of the long winding highways and roads between the cities had fallen into disrepair over the year since the war between the humans and incubus finished. The incubus, who used aircraft to move supplies and bodies had no need to attend to their upkeep.

Rhett knew that many smaller towns and farmlands had been destroyed in the skirmishes. The remains of those buildings stood as stone and steel bones, overtaken by nature and softened by time exposed to the elements. No one had tried to retake them or rebuild them. The humans didn't have the resources and incubus didn't have the need to.

Rhett was bounced about, cushioned by his bedding but growing more uncomfortable as the afternoon wore on. The atmosphere felt close and the space inside the hot truck was getting darker. Rhett could feel the bad weather coming and it didn't improve his mood. He was also becoming uncomfortably aware of his bladder. On top of that, the constant rocking and oppressive atmosphere were making him slightly nauseas. He let out a long breathe of relief when he felt the vehicle roll to a stop. When Martel opened the doors with a clang, Rhett could taste the rain on the low cloud cover. He practically dove for the door of his cage.

"Easy pet," Martel murmured, working the lock off the cage. Rhett scrambled out as soon as the general got it open. Janos was waiting outside. Close up, Rhett noticed the pinched expression on the younger general's face. Janos reached out a hand and helped guide him down from the truck bed.

"I really need to take a piss," Rhett grumbled. It felt as though the ground was still rocking under his feet.

"I'll take him," Martel muttered, climbing down after him. Janos shrugged but the gesture wasn't as fluid or relaxed as usual.

"What happened whilst I was out?" Rhett asked. Martel nodded his head toward a gap between to massive convoys and Rhett started walking.

“Four more of our soldiers have gone missing. On top of those taken from the scouting party, it makes seven," Martel explained quietly. Rhett frowned.

"Taken? You don't mean killed?"

"No, I mean taken. I wasn't sure at first but the bodies we recovered yesterday were not the entire squad." They hadn't gone far, only to a weak trench in the earth. Rhett wasn't going to complain though and relieved himself whilst Martel kept watch. The sounds of soldiers and servants moving about was overlaid with distant rumbles of thunder. As Rhett looked toward the horizon line, something oddly metallic glinted back at him. It looked like a building of some kind but judging by the trees it dwarfed, it must be enormous.

"What is that?" he asked, nodding towards it.

"We believe it’s an old human air force base," Martel said, his red eyes darting to it.

“Is that our destination?” Rhett asked, turning around to face the man.

“For some of us. We believe the enemy forces are camped there.” Rhett frowned at this.

“An air base? Isn’t that a bit… obvious?” he queried. He followed the general back through the camp.

“Yes and no. They have their own aircraft that they need to store and hide. This place is also quite isolated. We have travelled along way into uninhabited land to get here. This is as close as we can get with vehicles. The roads aren’t stable from here on. Bombs were dropped in this area during the war and air pocket under the ground are now quite common. The weights of the trucks would break through them.”

“So why take soldiers? To get information out of them?” Rhett said, dodging around several people carrying crates.

“Perhaps, or to force them to join their side,” Martel sighed.

“Umm, is that likely to happen?” Rhett snorted.

“I will tell you something that is not common knowledge among human kind. The incubus have an almost ageless lifespan but this comes at a cost. We do not have children as easily as humans do. Naturally, or we would be facing the same overpopulation problems the humans have caused. In saying this, it means that a war for our species is very costly even if we only loose a few men and women,” Martel said in a low voice. Rhett stared. He never actually considered that aspect of it before. He supposed now that he thought about, it seemed perfectly logical.

The incubus’s almost alien technology had put the demons into such a massive advantage against the humans that confrontation on a ground hand to hand combat scale had been rare.

“So where do we go from here?” Rhett asked reasonably as they came back over to Janos.

“A small squad including Janos, myself and your wolf are going to infiltrate the base at first light tomorrow morning,” Martel said handing Rhett a canteen of water. Rhett took several heavy swallows of water, trying to wash the taste of dust and truck exhaust out of his throat.

“Morning? Not at night?” Rhett said with only mild sarcasm. He winced as Janos reached over and pinched his ear.

“Tone pet, and no. Night is to quiet. It’s when they will expect an attack. We will need some noise to cover our approach,” Janos said waspishly. Sensing the younger general was not in the mood for teasing or jabs Rhett just nodded, his ear now smarting.

“We will go in first and take in as much information as we can. We cannot allow them any closer to the city. We also know that the human rebellion is involved in some way. How much is still to be determined,” Janos added. He looked strangely tense and Rhett wondered if there was anything else they weren’t telling him.

“You will need to eat something,” Martel said. A thought occurred to Rhett that made his stomach quiver.

“When did the two of you last… eat?” he asked nervously. Martel’s lips quirked up in a small smirk. He stepped into Rhett’s space, hooking a finger under his collar and tugging on it. Rhett fought against his training, arousal pooling in his loins. It was always hard not to react to them.

“We drank our fill of blood this morning before we left.” For some reason that statement sparked annoyance in Rhett as well as something else… jealousy? He didn’t like that they had taken blood from someone else and it pissed him off that he felt jealous!

“Can’t have you weak with blood loss before a mission,” Martel ran a thumb along Rhett’s bottom lip and Rhett had to fight the urge to not lick the rough pad. Instead he bared his canines and growled softly. Unfortunately, the small act of rebellion only widened the general’s smirk.

“That’s our boy,” he purred. He steered Rhett towards the truck. Rhett was handed a packet. It was oddly warm. Taking the hint, he sat on the step into the truck bay and carefully cracked open the bag. Steam and the smell of a mild butter chicken curry reached his nose. He wiggled the wooden spoon off the from of the packaging and ate without complaint.

Many people who moved around the new camp did so in a strange hunched, almost frightened way. No one looked over at him and the atmosphere was tense.

“What about the rain?” Rhett asked, nodded up to the dark cloud cover. Martell followed his gaze.

“It will help mask our scent,” the general said.

“And theirs,” Rhett cautioned. Neither man looked at him.

“We know.”

“And if you all die?” Rhett snapped. Martel looked off at the base, his voice flat as he said

“We are acceptably replaceable.”

\--

As plans went, Rhett thought this one was rather garbage. When the heavens finally decided to give up their burden and let go their water, the rain that fell was torrential.

Rhett had slept only a few hours during the night but he felt alright given he had slept most of the day during the journey. After a breakfast of porridge and hard biscuits, Rhett had been taken to meet up with the same men from the last mission two days prior. They stood in a circle watching the computer screen as Janos went through the satellite images of the area. There were no floor plans or proper building lay outs so other than a rough perimeter, they had very little to go on. After that unsettling briefing, Rhett had been told to shift and the collar had signalled his transformation.

No one spoke as they moved down what was left of the road towards the air force base. Rhett was by far the fastest mover, his paws moving easily over the wet concrete. The incubus were weighed down by the heavy rain soaking through the armour and gear they carried. They had already been told they were going in dark. There was to be radio silence. No help was coming if they ran into trouble.

Plants bubbled up from the cracks and several massive sinkholes had formed in places. Other craters looked to be caused directly by bombs and the undergrown had attempted to retake the vacant places, thick thorny vines creepy out in all directions.

The rain darkened the sky and drove back the sunrise by and hour or to, the light reasonably pathetic. Rhett felt exposed even with the tall trees growing all around them. They passed the skeletal remains of cars and trucks, some rolled, others with all its windows blown out.

The beast that shared Rhett's soul recognised the feel of Janos and Martel's eyes. He knew the animal considered them pack, acknowledged their strength and accepted them as pack. It bothered him and he knew when the day came when he could finally escape their hold over him, the wolf would be displeased. He had been without anything family or pack for so long.

The world always looked different in his wolf form and not just because he lost his ability to see the colour red. He could feel the tension in the men behind him, smell their sweat even through the rain. The incubus always smelt sweet to him, like strong sweet chai or crushed vanilla bean. Their aroma was part of their predatory costume, something else to lure and ease their prey. It could be smelt by humans but to shifters it was especially potent.

It was this unnatural sweetness that drifted to him from upwind. he froze, ear forward and paw raised. the soldiers went still behind him with little more than a look from Martel. Rhett listened but could hear nothing over the pounding rain on tree and stone. His fur and skin prickled. He felt watched but when he looked ahead, all he could see was more dense foliage.

He shifted, moving instinctively to the side of the mangled road where there was more cover. It would mean moving slower at a couch for the men behind him but they couldn't stay out of cover any longer. They followed without complaint though Martel came up beside him.

The general was scanning the tree line, lips parted, scenting the air in his own way. He knew as well as Rhett did that there was someone ahead of them. They marched on, the rain making shifting shadows at the edge of their vision. They couldn't make out a massive barbed wire fence that had probably once been electrified. The gates still stood but many parts of the patterned fence had been sliced away or bent back.

Martel strode into the lead and took the party right off the road into the thick undergrowth. Brambles, wild roses and other low hanging branches tore at them and made the way going forward slow. There was a thump and a half grunt of pain as one of the men slid in a patch of mud and slick leaf litter, sending him tumbling into a nest of brambles. He fought free, his face bleeding in some places. The wolf turned with interest, scenting the sweet blood and a strong hand took hold of the long fur at his neck.

"Eyes forward pet," Martel warned, gripping the fur tightly until the beast turned its head forward again.

This was a huge risk, bringing the dire wolf here but it was what the king wanted. The animal was barely trained, held in place by the collar and a weak blood bond Martel and Janos had managed to forge. If shifters were involved the king wanted one of their own. No one had expected the attacks to escalate so quickly. The general could only follow his orders and pray to the old gods that the wolf would continue to obey or else they would have to kill the beast and find a new one...

The sign that something was very wrong came not long after they had passed through a large gaping the old fence. It was quiet. No people, no machines, no animal, just the pounding rain and a dark sky. The scents of other incubus did meet them as they crept towards the largest handers but the rain was now so thick, the light so feeble, it was difficult to make anything out. The second bad sign was when they found the hanger open and empty.

Rhett growled. With the rain driving them and an uncertainty around them, the small team headed inside, sticking to the shadow and avoiding the slick pools where they could. No one was sure whether or not be relieved when they found the remains of three large boars. There was very little meat and bone of the animals left. On one hand, it meant that their troops might still be alive. On the other, it was very clear something had eaten those boars and whatever it was had very large teeth.

Unfortunately, they didn't have to wait long to find out what.

It was Rhett that sensed the danger first. Hackles rising, his lungs filled with a thundering growl as a huge shadow darkened the entrance to the hanger behind them. The team scrambled back away from the doors, drawing blades and guns. The thing in the entrances was huge, its silhouette something unfamiliar and terrifying. They retreated back, only Martel and Rhett stood their ground as what ever it was pushed them further into the hanger.

They could hear the clacking of steel capped boots on the cement floor. They echoed dismally in the massive empty space along with the hideous wet rumbling growl from the beast they had brought with them.

"Hello brothers," called a strong confident voice.

Rhett was frozen, his fur on end, his claws biting into the pavement. Perhaps it was just that he had become so used to the beauty of his own incubus masters but the appearance of these new incubus rocked him. He saw the similarities, the almost eleven features, high cheek bones, aristocratic nose, blood red eyes and the pointed canines. Their eyes were as red as Martel and Janos, utterly enveloping the pupil and whites. They stood at the open end of the hanger, blocking their escape. Rhett felt himself stiffen as their eyes fell on him.

"I see you have brought your own pet. He is quite lovely but I must say, I do prefer the improvements we made to our own," said the man, inclining his head towards the creature. Janos whispered a curse as the animal stepped into the light of one of the old swinging spotlights.

It was worse than any of them could have predicted.

It was a horrifying unnatural thing to look into the face of a creature and know there were multiple things looking back. The creature was an amalgamation of body parts, mostly ursine with thickly muscled front legs and claws and bulging shoulders. Short ragged brown fur covered it in uneven patches, waring with what looked like over lapping thick bony plates of some other kind of animal.

The plates criss-crossed across and down the animal's protruding spine. Something was oozing from between the plates as though they were causing infection simply by rubbing together. Even from the doorway of the hanger, the smell was rancid. Its back legs looked unnaturally short and bent backwards under the beast's weight. It had two tails that looked as though they should have been covered in fur but instead shook with wet exposed rash covered skin.

The skull of the animal was definitely bear but the flesh had peeled back along its jaws, elongating the length of enormous sharp teeth. The creature trembled violently where it stood, hunched over, beside its masters. It seemed to be repressing the urge to spring, held in place only by the command of the demons who owned it. It snarled and snapped, its uneven muscles juddering under scale, bone and hide. Of all of this, it was the animal's eyes that trapped Rhett to the spot. Past the rage he felt, the shock and the fear, was a feeling of immense pity.

The bear like thing had four or five eyes, two squished together inside a socket in the bulbous top skull that didn't seem to have enough room for them. Two of the eyes stared straight ahead at its prey, mad with blood lust and wide. Two others were half closed and looked off in different directions but the fifth eye, the fifth was completely human. The look of it, swollen though it was, was one of pain and absolute terror.

"What have you done?" Martel's voice was cold and dead, a tone Rhett had never heard before. The taller of the incubus stepped forward. Rhett had noticed the complete lack of facial hair the incubus seemed to have. This man did have a tattoo though. Red ink spiralled down across his jawline and up the side of his face.

"We knew the real purpose of humans. They are to be our food and our weapons, that is all they are good for. Your king was to foolish to realise what could be done with the dull animals. We have built something better. Admittedly, our prototype is a little rough around the edges..." he placed a hand affectionately on the monster's head. The animal preened, pressing into the man and nearly knocking him sideways with its bulk.

"But we are learning. The more DNA we collect, the more we can build and stitch together. Now your animal... would you consider handing him over in exchange for your soldiers back?" the man asked politely. Rhett shuddered in revulsion.

“You have used our technology to create an abomination,” Janos hissed, exposing his canines. The man’s eyes turned to him and to Rhett’s growing disquiet, he saw the new incubus regard Janos with just as much predatory interest as he did Rhett.

“Ah, you must be Janos, the king’s nephew? How fortunate we are today. Once we have convinced you to join our cause, many or your house will follow. The old king is weak, his ideals are old fashioned. This,” he indicated the monster.

“It is the future. Come little general, play with us. Lose quickly, lay down your weapons and we will take you all into our care. Your pretty wolf will be the perfect specimen,” the man purred. Janos looked pale but his grip on his pistol and sword didn’t waver.

“You will go through us to get him,” Martel snarled. The man shrugged.

“So be it.” The second incubus turned to his monster.

“Break the wolf’s legs and bring me our new toys.”

The beast let out of yowling mad roar and lunged forward into the attack.

\--

END

\--


	15. Blood Spilt

\--

Chapter Fifteen

Blood Spilt

\--

In seconds, the world around Rhett erupted into chaos.

The soldiers fell back on either side as the enormous hybrid mess of an animal came barrelling towards them. Its jaws distended, opening unnaturally wide with a disjointed popping sound. Two tongues lulled unevenly to one side between huge pointed teeth. Rhett lunged sideways, narrowly avoiding the thing. It moved with horrifying speed given its mismatched limbs and was turning onto Rhett in seconds.

The wolf dodged again, ducking under the snapping jaws. He dared a bite at a haunch as he leapt passed and got a mouthful of putrid desiccated fur. Snarling and gagging, Rhett spat, lips curling back over his muzzle. The smell was something unbelievable. It burned his nasal cavity. If he had been human, his eyes would have been streaming.

There was gun fire, pounding rain, shouting, flashing lights and movement but Rhett couldn't do anything to help as the monster lunged for him again. It seemed determined to take Rhett from the fight before attacking any other target. A bolt from one of the laser guns struck the beast in a slabby shoulder. It barely flinched but kept on barrelling forward, roaring and screeching even as the meat on its shoulder sizzled and calcified.

This time Rhett didn't move fast enough and a massive paw caught him on the side. Claws raked into him as he was thrown bodily. He hit the concrete and rocked onto his paws as the wide toothed maw went for his legs.

A long canine caught his left forepaw, cutting into the paw pad as Rhett sprawled out of the way. Pain, knife hot and instant, lanced up his leg. He fought passed it and lunged forward to bite at the bear's hock. He could feel blood drip from the wounds on his side. The sounds of the fighting were near deafening as laser and bullets racqueted off metal and concrete. The hybrid threw itself this way and that, trying to dislodge Rhett. As its huge head snaked around to attack, Rhett leapt back and fastened onto its leg on the other side. It howled in pain, stamping its paws and swiping with its front claws. As Rhett let go, a claw slashed his head above his left eye.

Half blinded and limping, Rhett backed away. The monster let out an excited giggling hiss. The sound had Rhett's fur standing on end. How the fuck did he kill this thing!? His instincts told him a bite down on the spine would kill it but with the thick plates on its back, he had no chance. In the precious moments he had; his eyes caught sight of Martel; blades locked together with the unknown incubus.

In those moments he could tell that there were a lot more people in the hanger then before. Several bodies laid strewn about. The incubus with the tattoos was firing at the surrounding soldiers. It was then Rhett noticed that several of the monster's eyes drifted to the men. Well, if he couldn’t kill the thing, maybe he could at least distract it.

He dove into the attack again, jumping at the beast’s head. The bear unhinged its jaw. As it did, Rhett twisted to one side and reared, closing his own jaws down on the top of its head. He felt one of the large rubbery eyeballs burst under his canine. The beast shrieked in rage and pain, violently flinging itself. Rhett let go willingly and backed away, blinking blood from his own eyes.

Whilst the animal was still recovering, Rhett turned and charge towards the tattooed man. He saw the blood red eyes widen slightly in alarm. The gun swung towards Rhett but the dire wolf was eating up the strides between them with incredible speed. The monster behind the wolf roared and came charging after but Rhett's head start was enough. The first bullet from the gun missed him completely but as he lunged, the second grazed his shoulder. The weight of the canine was more than enough to crumple the incubus to the ground. The gun clattered away across the floor and Janos picked it up. His own sword lay several metres away.

"Stop, or he dies!" Janos shouted. His words were drowned slightly by the gun fire but slowly, the chaos ebbed. The monster was still coming for them and Rhett opened his jaws in the man's face in warning.

"Stop!" The order came from the incubus fighting Martel. The hybrid's mad gallop dropped to a lope and finally it stopped, head lulling.

"Well done. Your beast fights well though I do believe ours is less injured." This was true. Despite losing an eye, the animal seemed none to bothered by its injuries. It stood, tongues tasting the air as it looked from one master to the other, awaiting instructions. It seemed confused and frustrated by the halt in the bloodshed. Rhett watched in disgust as many of its muscles seemed to twitch and move independently under its mismatched fur.

"And yet our wolf is the one pinning your companion," Janos snapped. He didn't seem to be as calm as usual. Some of his hair had been ripped from its pony tail and his hands shook slightly he held the two pistols at the ready. Rhett dared another quick look around. Many of the squad they had come in with were dead. Aside from himself, Martel and Janos, only two others were still standing. One man held his arm gingerly to his chest. He appeared to be missing several fingers.

"You are surrounded. All this death is really unnecessary. You know our numbers are precious. We are not unreasonable. Call back your beast and we can talk." The man was almost as imposing as Martel. There was barely an inch difference in their height. He had a similar hard cut jawline and blazing red eyes. Those eyes were narrower than Martel's with a long-pointed nose giving the incubus an almost hawklike appearance. The front of his black shirt had been cut but the wound was already healing. What was concerning was that Martel also had a deep cut to his arm and it was not healing nearly as quickly.

Did that mean this rouge incubus was older and stronger than Martel? Rhett didn't really know much about incubus biology except for what he read in articles and online and gods only knew how accurate they were.

"And what guarantee do we have that you won't shoot us down the moment our wolf let's him up?" Martel asked coldly. The man smiled, his lips thinning out in a creepy rendition of smugness.

"My word. We are not simple animals such as the humans," the hawklike man said.

"And what is you want from us today? You knew we were coming," Martel demanded. The ursine shifter began pawing at the concrete, its huge thick claws leaving grooves in the old floor.

"We did and I'll admit, it was not easy intel to collect. We heard of your lovely pet and we wanted to see for ourselves. If this wolf," he waved a hand toward Rhett who growled, one huge paw still pinning the tattooed man down.

"Was the best your king had to offer. A civil war is very costly for our species. He holds a tight reign over the humans but could he keep that grip if the human knew just how few of us there really are? We hoped you would see sense," the man sighed.

"Sense? This is not sense!" Janos shouted, gesturing to the snarling mutilated shifter. The angrier he became, the smugger the other seemed. Martel sent his lover a warning look but Janos seemed to unsettled to acknowledge it.

"I will admit we were surprised to see you here, Janos. The line to ascend the throne is very strict. We all know that not all incubus have the power and genetics to do. With so few able to take the thrown once the old king is dead, I am surprised he would send one the few young ones loyal to him who could into the field to be captured." The atmosphere in the hanger was becoming colder and dryer despite the pounding rain outside. Rhett looked from Martel to Janos without the slightest clue what the fuck the man was talking about. Martel's expression was near murderous and Janos looked pale.

"So. We will let you go. We will let your men go; even let you keep your pretty pet. For now. But Janos, you will stay here. We need our own young prince to mould into the king, one with the genetics to hold the clans in check and we have decided that it will be you."

"Burn in seven hells," Janos snarled. Martel shouted a warning as Janos seemed to lose his cool completely. He raised his pistol and fired but the soldiers all fired first. The hawk man twisted, taking the bullet relatively harmlessly to the shoulder.

"We need him alive!" he roared. Rhett heard Janos yell with pain but as he swivelled his head to look, the incubus below him wrenched himself upwards, slamming an armour-plated elbow into Rhett's exposed throat. The ursine screeched in excitement and rushed forward. Gagging, Rhett lost his footing and the bear smashing into him. Pain exploded along his ribs, at least two cracking with the impact.

The fighting was beginning again but now, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Janos go down and true panic filled him. They weren’t getting out of this. They were going to die. Or worse.

They needed help!

Someone had to help them!

Distantly, very distantly, as he tried to get back on his feet, he knew that HE had heard. Something else had touched the inside of his head, responding to his panic. Half blind with blood and pain, barely able to stand and shaking with exhaustion, Rhett rounded to face down the hybrid. If he was going to die then he would die fighting.

It was the aura he felt first. An aura of death and power, of fire and brimstone. It filled the hanger and over road every other sensation in Rhett’s aching body. The shouting changed from exaltation to shock though his ears weren’t able to discern the words. Even the beast, seconds away from taking Rhett down, paused mid stride, saliva, slime and blood dripping from its lower jaw.

The king had arrived.

Rhett blinked sluggishly, his brain telling him to go to Janos. He limped towards the incubus, putting his muzzle down to sniff. The man had been hit in the pelvis. He was bleeding badly. A second bullet had caught him in the leg but as Rhett bent to sniff at it, he realized it was not a bullet, but a dart. He closed his teeth around it carefully and pulled it out. Janos barley flinched, his chest moving unevenly.

A man, tall and built of shadows stepped out of the driving rain and into the hanger.

“What a mess you have made of our men brother,” said the incubus king. The hawklike man didn’t hesitate.

“Take his head! This is what you were made for!” He shouted at his pet. The bear roared, the sound ringing hard and painful in Rhett’s skull. It left Rhett and went thundering towards the demon king. Martel was suddenly at his side. Rhett felt the collar shift and without waiting to be told he shifted back.

“He’s not healing,” Rhett rasped, his throat raw. Pain was pulsing through his body in waves.

“Hold his arms down,” Martel barked. Rhett did as he was told and watched, horror struck as Martel wrenched the torn trousers down from Janos’s hips and dug unmercifully into the wound with clawed fingers. Janos howled weakly, his chest coming up as Marcel dug for the bullet. Rhett pinned him down as best he could, blood leaking sluggishly from his own wounds. He couldn’t catch his breathing, the filling of his lungs pressing on his cracked ribcage.

“Got it,” Martel muttered, pulling back to show off a ragged oddly pale green bullet. Rhett watched anxiously but the wound did not close.

“He’s still not healing,” Rhett snapped.

“They’ve drugged him and he’s too young,” Martel whispered, his face ashen. Rhett shoved Martel aside and rolled the young general onto his back. The slice on his palm had started to close but Rhett ripped it open again with a claw and shoved the wound into Janos’s mouth. He watched, his vision doubling slightly. It took a painful moment before the general swallowed. Then two hands came up and yanked Rhett down. Rhett yelled in pain as his battered body was pulled.

The incubus’s fang slice into the flesh of Rhett’s palm, widening the wound. Janos was too weak to control his hunger or his venom. The venom hit Rhett’s weakened body with the force and scale of a lightning bolt. Unfiltered, it sloshed through his muscles and blood. Rhett’s other arm no longer took his weight and he collapsed fully onto Janos’s chest as the general drank greedily.

As his muscles lost their ability to function, the pain in his wounds lessened. Breathing became a little easier as his body no longer felt the grinding of cracked and broken bones. He sagged, utterly relaxed, his head beginning to float and his eyes beginning to close.

Vaguely, he realised Janos wasn’t stopping. He felt weaker and tired, so incredibly tired. At the outer edges of his consciousness he understood that he probably was never going to wake up again.

At that moment, he didn’t care.

\--

Awake was not a word Rhett would have used to describe his current head space. He could definitely hear people talking in soft voices. He could smell the scents of old blood, antiseptic and linen. He could even vaguely feel the hard mattress he was lying on. Despite this, Rhett’s confused brain couldn’t understand where he was. On when. Or why.

He ached all over.

He drifted in the darkness for a while, his senses waxing and waning. It hurt to breathe though his body was starting to heal. If there was anything left in his belly, he may had felt nauseas. It was the fourth, or maybe the fifth time waking in this place that his brain slowly began to process the outside world. The first imagine to come back to him was Janos bleeding out on the floor of the abandoned hanger.

“Janos,” his voice was almost unrecognisable. A hand gently brushed the hair from his forehead.

“He’s resting. As you should be. Go back to sleep Rhett.” He knew that voice. He tried to reply, seemed rude not to but his tongue lay flat and useless in his skull. He lost the fight with sleep again.

The next time he woke, the smell of antiseptic was gone. He was oddly warm and comfortable. As he breathed in, the familiar scent of Martel washed over him. He shifted gingerly, limbs stiff and heavy.

“Why are we alive?” Rhett grumbled, forcing his eyes to open. They were lying together on a blown-up mattress. A thick blanket had been pulled up over them and Rhett was practically draped over Martel’s side. Martel gave a dry chuckle.

“We were brought back to the camp to heal,” he said, sounding tired.

“Yes, but how are we alive?” Ryan groaned.

“The king intervened.” Martel said, his voice oddly flat. The king. That monster. The rouge incubus. Rotting muscles and patchy fur. Flashes of the battle played before his eyes.

“Is that… thing dead?” he rasped. He tried to sit up. He thought his ribs were mostly healed. It no longer sent shivering stabs through him when he inhaled but everything still ached.

“It was torn apart. It didn’t stop moving until the heart was removed from its chest.”

“Good.” Rhett nearly choked on the word. The silence sat between them for several moments.

“How could anyone do that to a living thing?” the words got stuck his chest and he coughed painfully. Martel rubbed at his back. The general pressed an oddly gentle kiss to his forehead.

“I don’t know. We didn’t think it was possible,” Martel murmured softly. His face looked pained.

“What? What is it?” Rhett asked but he already suspected the answer.

“The king had to destroy the hybrid but the two rouge generals escaped. We suspect they will try to create another.” Rhett closed his eyes and swore, his shoulders dropping.

“What was all that crap they were talking about with Janos?” Rhett said, remembering. Martel’s rubbing hand paused. He seemed to be contemplating what to say. Finally, he sighed.

“The incubus live in a hierarchy with the king at the top but we are all connected. We share a mental space,” Martel explained.

“Like a hive mind?” Rhett asked, stunned.

“In a manner of speaking. We share a connection to our king. He can even hear our thoughts and emotions if he wishes. However, this ability isn’t one that is shared by all incubus. In a manner of speaker, we are like bees. Only some are born to be king or queen. Janos is one of them. He is also young, malleable,” Martel growled.

“So, what, the rogues need a new queen bee to replace the old one or they won’t have control over all the other incubus?” Rhett surmised. Martel nodded.

“Yes, that is the basics of it all.” Rhett sat there, absorbing all of this.

Would any of this information have made a difference during the war? Could the humans have dropped a nuke on the king’s house and sent the rest of the incubi into chaos with his death? Maybe but no human had even heard of the king until after the war was over. This was probably by design. A trembling hand came up to touch the collar around his throat.

“He heard me. I know he did,” Rhett murmured.

“Yes. I expect he did,”

“You said we are replaceable so why did he bother to come?” the shifter asked. Martel hesitated.

“We are replaceable, you and I. Janos, not so much. He… he was not intended to come with us,” Martel said finally. Rhett’s mouth parted.

“You… you’re going to get into trouble for letting him tag along, aren’t you?” Rhett asked. The incubus sighed.

“I expect so.” Martel rocked forward, easing the blanket off the both of them.

“Come. We need to check on Janos and receive our new… orders.” Rhett didn’t need to see Martel’s face to feel the dread the general was feeling. Just what was the king going to ask of them now?

\--

END

\--


	16. Bad Language

\--

Chapter Sixteen

Bad Language

\--

The act of standing, of pulling fresh clothing over his battered and bruised body was not fun. There was hardly any part of him that didn’t feel like it had gone through a wood chipper. As he shifted about, he even became aware that one of his teeth were loose. Groaning, he climbed down from the back of the truck, Martel hovering nearby. His master eyed him with some concern.

“Are you well pet?” he murmured. Rhett gave a half shrug.

“I’ll live,” he grunted. They made their way through the camp. From what Rhett could tell, it was early. The sun wasn’t up properly yet and the clouds lay scattered and heavy. They would probably get more rain that day. They passed a few soldiers as they picked their way through the maze of tents and vehicles. There seemed to be a lot more people here then there were before. As they passed one of the larger trucks, Rhett could guess where they were going.

A large airship was waiting for them. The hanger was open and flags had been placed in front of it along with several soldiers in blood red armour. Maybe someone had thought the red would be menacing. Rhett thought it was tacky.

He followed Martel into the depths of the ship. It was certainly larger than anything Rhett had ever messed with. It was oddly cold and silent inside.

The low passageway opened out in a larger circular room. In the centre sat the king. Rhett heard the growl from his own throat before he could stop himself. No one said anything though. He noticed that the two surviving members of the squad were already in attendance, one incubus with his hand and arm heavily bandaged.

“Come here wolf,” the king murmured. Rhett’s feet moved on command. He hated how this man seemed to have a compulsive grip over him. His body went even as he ground his teeth. The king reached out a clawed hand and snagged his wrist. The skin on skin contact made him jump, the touch like an ice brand against his skin.

“You fought fearlessly, little wolf. As I knew you would,” the king purred.

“I didn’t do it for you,” Rhett hissed, wrenching his burning arm away. To his surprise, the man let him go and in the smallest of moments, Rhett caught the grimace.

“I take it you didn’t come out of the battle without injury yourself then,” Rhett said carefully, eyes studying the incubus king.

“I am healing as we speak,” said the king, blazing red eyes catching and holding Rhett’s gaze. Just how injured was he? What had it taken to kill that creature? He knew he would not get a verbal answer for those questions so instead he asked,

“How did they make that thing?”

“Our technology is far more advanced then human ever realised. What we can do could be called magic by your people. The splicing of DNA is but a small element of what our scientists have been working on. It appears that these rebels had decided to use the research we have been conducting on shifters to further their own cause. Though we had received rumours, General Martel and his men were to finally provide proof of the existence of the rouge experiments,” the king sighed. Rhett was glad his stomach was so empty. It was currently twisting itself over in horror and disgust.

“You have been experimenting on shifters?” Rhett croaked. The king looked vaguely bored by his reaction.

“Naturally. How and why humans can shift is your most interesting quality. The use of this research to build new animals was, however, never permitted.”

“Why not?” Rhett snapped. He felt Martel tense beside him and knew he was treading into dangerous grounds.

“That creature was in its infancy. I have no doubt it would have regained some sentience as it got older and most likely broken free of its master’s control. I have no interest in an army of monsters I can’t control,” the incubus said lazily. Rhett’s hand clenched into fists.

“I wish that thing had killed you. The irony would have been too good, a heartless monster losing to one that had to many hearts for its body,” Rhett snarled. The soldiers around then tensed. One of the men was staring at Rhett in open shock. Perhaps he had just never heard anyone speak so freely to the king before.

“How poetic,” the king said, apparently unbothered by his rage. It only pissed him off more. It was like the man consider Rhett no more then a stroppy toddler.

“You need not be here for this meeting. Your job is to protect my nephew and be seen by my side in battle. You will go to the medical tent and stay there whilst I have words with your other master,” the king said lazily. Rhett’s jaw hurt with the pressure in which he was clenching his teeth. His lizard brain wanted him to get the fuck out of this room and away from the incubus. This instinct clashed with his training, his need to stay with Martel.

“Don’t worry, you’ll still have a second master when I am through with him,” the king said, his tone amused. Rhett glanced at Martel.

“Go. Stay with Janos,” Martel ordered.

“Roman will escort you. Can’t have you wandering off,” the king waved a hand dismissively. Skin crawling, teeth grinding, Rhett turned.

Still internally waring, Rhett took one step back, then another until he was nearly running back down the corridor they had come. He followed his nose to the storm licked air outside. He was glad to be free of the insane oppressive aura of the king but irritatingly worried for Martel.

He shouldn’t care if the man died!

But he did care.

Fuck.

Rhett let out a barking snarl. He was at the foot of the ramp before he realised, he wasn’t alone. The man with the missing fingers was striding along quickly to keep up. The incubus soldier was still staring at Rhett as though he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What?” Rhett snapped peevishly. Roman shook his head. He didn’t have the full red eyes of the general and demon king but his irises were still a bright crimson. Rhett always found it somewhat difficult to tell but he thought the soldier was younger then both Martel and Janos.

“You should be carefully with how you present yourself to the king. He could kill you,” Roman said softly. Rhett snorted.

“I could do absolutely everything right and he could still kill me. That man is batshit crazy and doesn’t give a fuck about anyone but himself and the few incubus that affect his little hive,” Rhett snarled. Several passing incubi stopped dead; their mouths slightly open. Roman grabbed Rhett by the arm. Rhett’s eyes bled gold as his head whipped around to the soldier.

“You can’t just say things like that!” Roman spat, squeezing hard.

“You think I care what he does to me?” Rhett snarled. He could his teeth sharpening and knew if he didn’t get his emotions back under control the collar would electrocute him again.

“I saw you fight, saw you prepared to die for the men that captured you. Even if you don’t care about yourself, what about General Martel and General Janos? Do you care what he does to them or any of the other humans in this camp?” Roman growled. This stopped Rhett in his rage. He was just about to say he didn’t very well care what happened to them but his gut sunk as images of the day before rushed up to greet him. Janos, pale and bleeding out on the concrete floor of the hanger, people screaming, that thing roaring. Instead, he said,

“Let go of my arm.” Roman released him, his face pale but determined.

“Don’t make things harder than they need to be,” the soldier said, his own anger receding. Rhett couldn’t think of anything to say to this so he just nodded jerkily. The pair set off again, the tension between them easing after they had their spat. Rhett may have been imagining it but there was a grudging look of respect on the incubus’s face. Roman left him at the mouth of the medical tent. Rhett was surprised by the number of people inside. Medics were rushing to and fro between cots.

More must have happened since he had passed out because at least six more incubus and several human soldiers in uniform were bundled in cots, IV’s connected to their forearms and bandages covering outstretched limbs. No one paid him much attention as he eased through the chaos of jostling people and trollies until he came to a set of quieter curtained off rooms. Following his nose, Rhett pushed through the curtain on the far left. Janos opened an eye as he stepped inside.

“How lucky I am, I have a visitor,” Janos purred. Rhett rolled his eyes.

“You look like shit master,” Rhett grumbled. Janos laughed and then promptly winced in pain.

“I have felt better,” the general admitted. He looked smaller than usual, laid out in the low cot and wrapped up tight in a sterile white blanket. His long auburn hair and been draped over the pillow, the red and bronze clashing sharply with his porcelain pale skin.

“Where’s Martel?” Janos asked, his eyes looking over Rhett’s shoulder as though the other incubus would just appear behind him through the curtain.

“Still with your king,” Rhett replied flatly. The small smile of Janos’s face fell instantly, replaced with worry.

“Turns out he isn’t very happy you came with us to die,” Rhett added. He took a tiny amount of satisfaction in the flinch in the man’s normally cocky features.

“It was supposed to be a routine reconnaissance mission,” Janos murmured.

“But you knew there was a chance it wouldn’t be,” Rhett guessed. Janos glared up at the ceiling tent.

“I am not a politician. I have no interest in sitting in my uncles court,” Janos growled, fangs showing. Rhett snorted.

“Welcome to my world, master, where no one cares what you want,” the shifter said coldly. Janos gaze dropped to his face.

“And yet you saved me…” Janos murmured. Rhett shifted uncomfortably. Yes, he probably had saved Janos’s life by giving him blood to fight the poison.

“Don’t read too much into it. It was instinct, nothing else,” Rhett grumbled, arms crossing.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” rumbled a deep melodic voice. Rett swung around as Martel slipped into the room. He was moving gingerly. Rhett sniffed. His nose was already under assault from the smell of antiseptic and blood but as he inhaled, he thought he caught to scent of burnt meat. Janos grunted, trying to push himself up into a sitting position.

“Stay down, you’re still injured,” Martel growled.

“Are you alright? What did he do?” Janos panted, sweat beading on his brow as he strained to sit up. Rhett stepped forward and pushed the weaker man back down. Janos shot him nasty look that he ignored.

“I have been reminded of my failure to keep you safe. It will be a reminder that I will carry for the rest of my life,” the general said gravely.

“Meaning?” Janos hissed. Martel sighed and lifted his shirt. A brand, still new and raw was revealed just over his hip. Janos swore so loudly that the noise outside their makeshift room ebbed away for several moments. Rhett breathed in again.

“It’s not going to heal is it?” Rhett asked, staring down at the pair of throned dragons wings now burned into the man’s flesh.

“Correct,” Martel sighed, letting the shirt drop to cover it.

“He can’t do this! He marked you! He fucking marked you.” Rhett had never seen Janos in such a state. The young incubus as snarling and spitting like an angry ally cat. He was still struggling to sit up, arms violently shaking. Martel rolled his eyes and with little effort, slamming Janos back down onto the cot.

“Enough. We came here to help you heal, not so you can exacerbate your injuries,” the older general said sternly. Rhett frowned.

“We did?” he asked. He froze like a deer in headlights as those blood red eyes turned on him.

“Indeed, we did. He has been given blood but his other hunger still needs to be sated. It’s why you’re here pet.” And just like that, that one fucking word had Rhett’s brain sliding sideways. He swallowed hard, his body reacting instinctively to the look his master now gave him.

“What are you going to have him do?” Janos asked, his voice almost breathless. Rhett shivered, his eyes flicking to Martel’s face.

“Well. You did want to try sounding.”

“I wanted to train him to-”

“You did not listen to me and our pet has shown an inability to hold his tongue. I think this shall be the perfect punishment for both of you. Janos, you will watch and you, pet, will only feel. Any word out of your mouth is another half hour you go without orgasm.” Rhett’s jaw dropped. His wasn’t the only one.

“But, but I wanted to-” Martel cut Janos off for a second time.

“I don’t care.” Rhett has never heard Martel angry before. This might not have been anger exactly… more like irritation but it was clear the older general wasn’t interested in their excuses or their opinions.

“Take your trousers off and kneel.” The order came out like a whip crack. Without thinking, Rhett quickly kicked off the pants and dropped to his knees.

“Good boy. At least one of you is capable of listening,” Martel murmuring, running his fingers through Rhett’s hair. There was a whimper. Whether is came from his own throat or Janos, Rhett wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Martel strode over to a small set of draws and extracted a small bag. After rummaging around in it, he came back over to Rhett.

Rhett gasped as something cold and oiled slid around his hardened cock. It rested around the base. He panted, able to feel his heart beat against the warming metal of the cock ring.

“Of course, you don’t need one of these any more but you look gorgeous with one on,” Martel purred. Rhett leant forward and was delighted when Martel closed the distance, taking his lips in a soul hungry kiss. He shivered, groaning as sharp teeth worried his lower lip and clawed hands buried in his hair. Martel pulled back, all be it, reluctantly.

“Now. You will be nice a quiet for us. There are a lot of patients here. They need their rest. You will keep your hands behind your head at all times,” the general murmured. Rhett nodded until he saw the short thin rod Martel held up. He knew what sounding was, or at least what it involved. The idea of anything going into his urethra was not a welcome one. He shifted, eyes starting to bleed gold with his anxiety.

“Shh. Easy pup,” Martel’s voice was barely a whisper. He stroked Rhett’s straining member and feathered lips along his jaw. Rhett tried to relax, nervous and uncertain.

“We are going to start nice and slow. Janos loves this part, preparing a new slave. I’m going to slid this sound into your urethra. It’s only thin as you haven’t been trained for this. Its going to rub up and down inside your pretty cock until the tissue is so sensitive, your orgasm will crack you. I don’t think you are ready for direct prostate stimulation just yet.” Rhett’s breathes were coming hard and fast, torso heaving.

Despite his own nervousness, Martel’s voice and the images of what was about to happen has his cock drooling. Janos was staring, lips parted and eyes wide as Martel took a firmer hold of Rhett’s cock and guided the small greased rod towards Rhett’s slit. Rhett’s thighs trembled as he tried to hold still. The cool tip wiggled, hardly sliding in and out of the leaking slit. As Rhett whimpered, Martel slowly eased the metal inside. Rhett nearly forgot to work his lungs.

The sensations were… odd at first. Martel was experienced and the metal was thin and well lubricated. Oddly invasive but not painful, the metal eased down inside Rhett’s cock. Martel was slow and careful, gently lifting the sound and letting gravity allow it to slowly slide back in. Rhett shuddered.

“Good?” Martel asked, licking up the side of his neck. The noise that escaped Rhett’s throat was nothing short of pathetic.

“Please let me touch him!” Janos whined.

“You will stay there,” Martel growled, actually fucking growled. If Rhett wasn’t drowning in his own body, he might have noticed the noise outside their curtain room had dropped away. He already wanted to come, his body coiled tight and ready. His hole twitched, missing the added stimulation it normally received. He wanted to beg but bit down hard on his tongue. He knew his words would only incite more punishment. His hips twitched and Martel saw it as an invitation to land a few light swaps to his inner thighs.

Rhett gasped wetly. The sound moved a little faster, twirling and stimulating his cock from the inside. Rhett was trembling, sweat streaking down his face. Martel leant forward and sunk his fangs into Rhett shoulder. The shifter shouted, pain and pleasure combining in a harsh tortuous rhythm. He couldn’t cum, despite the stimulation. He wanted to, so fucking badly. The cock ring felt exceptionally tight, not painfully so but he could feel every pulse of blood against its restrictive grip.

“You do not speak unless spoken to,” Martel snarled, lip and teeth tinted with Rhett’s blood. Another slap. His inner thighs were burning pleasantly.

“You do not talk back.” Fingers rubbed along his tight balls, rubbing without mercy. Rhett gave a sobbing moaned, hip cantering. Another slap.

“You keep your opinions of your king to yourself,” Martel sneered. Suddenly, two slick fingers found his ass and slipped inside with ruthless speed. Rhett howled, cock almost purpling with denied climax.

“And you do not forget your place.” Martel bit his again, this time taking a pebbled nipple into his mouth and suckling before sharp teeth sliced. Rhett nodded vigorously. He would have begged if he could but his throat wasn’t working. Trembling all over he nodded with every ounce of desperation he felt, silently begging to man to understand, to forgive him, to let him have his orgasm.

“You may cum.” Rhett really did scream then, muffled by a shoulder. The sounding rod was withdrawn from his aching sensitised cock. The orgasm was more intense then he had ever remembered. White spots danced in his eyes and the world outside this room was nothingness.

His arms fell limply to his sides and he whimpered as the cock ring was eased from hyper sensitive cock. Arms cradled him as he came down. The first thing he was able to take in was how flushed and uncomfortable Janos looked. He incubus looked more awake, less pale and definitely healthier. He was also incredibly aroused judging by the lewd tent that was displayed in the blankets around his hips. Martel did not seem interested in helping his lover though. He just continued to sit with Rhett.

As Rhett became more aware, he did notice how straight and stiff the older incubus was. Probably the brand was aching. He glanced down. The shirt was slightly wet where the brand was and sweat beaded Martel’s brow.

“Is there anything we can do about that?” Rhett whispered; his voice slightly raspy. Martel shook his head.

“No pet. Don’t waste your energy. Come. We must get you both cleaned up.” The general tugged him to his feet. Together, they help Janos sit up. As the younger general tried to get his arms into a clean shirt, Rhett couldn’t help but wonder how they could win a war against animals that could so easily take down two people such as Martel and Janos.

\--

END

\--


	17. A New City

\--

Chapter Seventeen

A New City

\--

The hanger had already been searched along the rest of the base. Though plenty of evidence supported the theory that the rouges had been using the air force base as a place to hide out, the buildings were now empty. What few supplies the base had were gone, leaving behind water-stained walls and echoing empty corridors.

They had found medical rooms deep within the structure. From the blood and left over parts of various shifters, they had determined that this was the place the monster had been put together. What had been more disconcerting was the clear evidence that several animal parts did not match the beast that had attacked them. Whether or not this meant there was a second creature or if the first experiment had failed, they didn’t know.

There was lot they didn’t know.

“How can the shifters believe the incubus are helping them when they created something so horrific?” Rhett asked out loud. He had actually been allowed to sit in the cab of the truck instead of his cage in the back. He was happy about this as the dark clouds had created another overly warm, muggy day and he really didn’t want to be stuffed inside a dark metal box.

“It’s to early to say. Perhaps they don’t know what the incubus have done or perhaps the incubi have already turned those shifters into willing slaves. It would be ideal to try and capture one but so far the only rouge shifters we have encountered are those used in the experiments,” Martel said as they drove.

Janos wasn’t contributing much to the conversation. The younger general looked healthier but he was still visibly pale and tired. Rhett wasn’t feeling too fantastic himself but most of his internal injuries had completely healed.

“So, what now? We just keep chasing after them in the hope that they will stop somewhere and we can go in guns blazing?” Rhett asked with the barest amount of sarcasm. Martel’s lip twitched but he didn’t smile.

“Not exactly. Every time we stop, they attempt to pick some of us off. We are headed to the next city. We are following a few leads to find people who will have information for us.” Martel kept his eyes on the road as Janos yawned. Rhett’s eyebrows rose.

“The next city? I thought it was shit show over there,” the shifter asked. Martel shifted in his seat. During the war, the bombs dropped effectively wiped-out entire swathes of land. Some cities and towns away the from coast were straight up abandoned. Some places, like Los Angeles, had their old name stripped and were called something new by the incubus empire. Most of them, Rhett couldn’t pronounce.

Other cities, far from fading into the ground, grew and spread, leeching across the landscape in a jumble of tunnels and shanties held together by little more then some scrap metal and a hope and a prayer.

Minneapolis had become such a place. Rhett had never been there before the war but he had seen pictures. It had been quite pretty once with its waterways and tall buildings. He doubted it looked the same now though.

Humans ran together like dog packs, avoiding the daylight and open surveillance. From what Rhett understood, every now and again the government would send in teams to clean out the illegal housing within the labyrinth of new questionable ‘buildings’ but the humans came back like the world’s most stubborn roach infestation. He wasn’t sure why the incubus king would allow the existence of such a place.

Possibly the problem hadn’t become big enough for him to care about, not with some many other larger cities under his direct control. Perhaps it was because these underground backwards streets offered a place for the incubus to hunt humans like wild piglets and still maintain their friendly façade elsewhere. Rhett had once entertained the thought of escaping to Minneapolis but it had never stuck. Humans were just as likely to kill each other there as the incubus who picked them off in the dark.

“Minneapolis is under the king’s rule, though, it is the truth that no one has bothered much with it. That is why we are going. It is a refuge for fleeing humans, the proverbial rock to huddle against to wait out the storm. There are plenty there who will give us information for enough coin,” Martel said.

“There are plenty who’ll try to kill us for enough coin as well. If the rouges are already there, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to get the word out to cut down anyone in a uniform,” Rhett pointed out. Martel took his red eyes from the road to look at his wolf. The smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“More then just a pretty face, isn’t he?” Janos sighed sleepily. Martel nodded.

“That he is.” The once well-kept wide highway was now broken up in a jigsaw of tarmac and greenery. The tall trees that used to neatly line the roads were overgrown. With no one to trim back their branches many had reached fingers over the roads. They passed abandoned houses, often with windows and doors missing. It was strange to Rhett. Some places were so clean, contemporary and pristine whilst others had been left to be retaken by nature.

“I thought you were worried about the rouges getting closer to the capital? What makes you so sure they won’t attack whilst we are chasing after these two?” Rhett asked, waving a hand in the vague direction of the road ahead.

“We don’t which is why the king and the main forces will be staying behind to guard the boarder whilst we go alone,” Martel replied stiffly. Rhett raised an eyebrow and looked over at Janos.

“With him?” Rhett asked flatly, pointing at Janos. Janos scowled.

“Yes pet, with him. It is how we are going to guarantee that they will show themselves,” Martel said. He didn’t sound particularly happy about this ridiculous plan and Rhett had the strong suspicion that he wasn’t the one who came up with it. What worried Rhett the most wasn’t the people that might try and kill them the moment they stepped out of the truck.

“They’re a lot of runaway shifters in Minneapolis. More people for those freaks to use in their experiments,” Rhett said, voicing his concern. Martel gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

“We know pet. We know.”

\--

Despite the tension of the coming days, Rhett ended up dozing in the cab of the truck. When he next woke, he found Janos's head on his shoulder and the truck slowing down. He glanced down at the sleeping incubus with his porcelain, almost eleven, features. His long hair had been tamed into a neat ponytail and bound with a cord of shiny leather. He looked almost innocent as he dozed, bow lips parted slightly and sharp canines hidden.

"Janos, wake up. We are here," Martel murmured, startling the young general. The truck pulled into what looked like a storage complex. Shipping containers and metal roller doored garages lined up on either side. There were a few other vehicles parked in the parking lot out the front. Martel ignored them and took the truck around to the very back of the complex, parking behind one of the old warehouses.

They were now hidden from the main road but it was pitch black, the few old lights having long since been smashed out. The remnants of the glass lay scattered about the footpath, glittering in the brief glimpse of moonlight through the clouds. Before Rhett could climb out, Martel reached out and took hold of his chin. He turned his face toward him.

"You need to shift." Rhett didn't argue. He felt better with his claws and sharp teeth then he did as a fleshy human. Janos climbed out first and waited for him, eyes scanning the shadows for movement. The collar chimed and Rhett slunk from the vehicle, his bones cracking as he went. He hit the pavement on four paws and shook himself out roughly. Janos placed a hand in his thick fur. Rhett could feel the tension in the man's body. The wolf lifted its head and drew in a deep breathe.

He could smell the wet tarmac, urine, car exhaust and cigarettes but nothing that caused him alarm. He sat down. Janos relaxed a little and gave his lover a nod. Martel went to the back of the truck and pulled down two small backpacks. He tossed one to Janos and wrestled the other on over his broad shoulders.

"Let's go," Martel said and then took the lead. The dire wolf padded along behind, ears twitching back and forth. The storage facility was just on the outskirts of the city. Martel and Janos both stripped of their patterned uniform coats, leaving them both wearing black undershirts.

They still stuck out like a sore thumb in Rhett's opinion but at least they weren't blatantly showing off their Empire status anymore. The smell of the city's outskirts was not pleasant. Rotten sewerage, burning rubber, fry oil and stagnant water rose up to meet them as they walked.

It was quite as bad as Rhett expected. The city had grown a great deal. The shanty town of corrugated iron, building foundation and recycled plastics, sometimes supported by an old tree of broken lamp post, starting long before any road signs or proper modern construction. LED lamps had been strung up in various location along with spindly fairy lights in a pitiful attempt to provide illumination to streets that were barely a shoulder wide.

They could hear voices, people drunkenly yelling or angrily muttering, not all of it in English. A whiff of strong alcohol and sick wafted toward them and the wolf snorted, shaking its head. A man stumbled back threw a curtained doorway. He blinked stupidly at the two incubi before his dull bloodshot eyes fell on the dire wolf. Before either general could do anything, the man's jaw went slack and keeled over backward in a dead faint.

"Let's go. Quickly," Martel whispered. They stepped over the man. The wolf didn't even look twice at him, not when he stunk so strongly of cheap booze and urine. They weaved, snakelike through the dark streets. Many times, people closed down, dropped blinds or stepped through doorways to avoid them. It took nearly an hour before they stepped out into what could be considered a proper street.

There was a road at least, with beaten up taxis trundling its length. At the sight of the busier area, Martel tapped the band on his wrist and Rhett's collar chimed. He was all too happy to shift back. As much as he loved to be in his wolf form, the claustrophobic feel and strong stench of the city was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"We need to find somewhere to stay," Rhett murmured, leaning casually against the musty wall of an old convenance store. He looked them both up and down. A taxi driver glanced briefly their way, froze and then put his foot down, wrenched his battered car into open traffic to blearing of horns and scream of abuse.

"We need to get you two different clothes," Rhett growled. Janos frowned and glanced towards his lover.

"We are wearing plain clothes," he said petulantly.

"No, you're wearing military cut pants with a black shirt. You look, stand and smell like soldiers. A blind toddler could pick you out of a crowd," Rhett stated bluntly. Janos scowled but didn't argue. Martel sighed.

"This way," the general led off again. He must have had some idea of where they going because they were soon turning on a shop thoroughfare. The smell of fresh Takoyaki turned Rhett's head, his stomach rumbling loudly. He'd been eating bland rations for several days now. He didn't have any money though. He bit his tongue and tried to follow Martel without looking around at the various food vendors.

They entered a shabby motel that at least looked habitable. Martel walked up to the bored looking desk clerk and after a few tense minutes of conversation, he came back with a room key. The elevator was broken (not that Rhett would have used it even if it wasn't), so they trudged up two flights of stairs and out onto a numbered landing. The accommodation made Janos scoff but Rhett couldn't have cared less. He'd seen his fair share of run-down motels.

"Cheer up. At least this one isn't covered in roaches," Rhett said dryly.

"Don't antagonise him pet," Martel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Janos grumbled something under his breath and went to sit down on the lumpy motel bed. It sunk awkward more on one side then the other.

"So, this is where we are staying?"

"For now. You are heading down to get food," Martel said as he placed his backpack on a spindly chair. Rhett blinked.

"I am? By... by myself?" Blood red eyes turned to look at him.

"Yes pet. We aren't going with you. To be clear, that doesn't mean you won't be monitored." He held up his arm to show off the electronic wrist cuff.

"You are on a strict timer and perimeter. Do not try to go more than a block from here and do not take any longer then forty minutes. We need to know how strong the incubus presence is so far on the outskirts of the city. See if anything catches your ear but stay out of conversation and out of sight as much as possible," Martel said in a hard voice.

"No need to tell me how to blend it. I have experience in avoiding trouble," Rhett said, only half joking. Martel's strained expression relaxed slightly. He stepped forward, fingers coiling in Rhett's hair and jerking his head back. Rhett met the kiss with want that surprised himself.

He supposed he had noticed a shift in the dynamic between himself and his masters. He was still very much theirs but he had since learnt that Martel and Janos were almost as much slaves as he was. Perhaps slave was a too strong a world but pawn felt accurate. When they drew back, Martel pressed some money into his hand.

"Go. Your clock starts now."

\--

The first thing Rhett did when he got back downstairs was rip up his rousers a little and rub some dirt into his shirt. He looked to clean, to out of place. It was late but the street seemed to be just as loud as it would be during the day though the crowds moving about were obviously quite different. Scantily clad men and woman drifted up and down the walkways, calling out to passers-by. Rhett highly doubted much actually policing occurred in this place.

He went back to the food venders, asking for a bowl of noodles with the same bored voice as any other patron. The cook didn't even look up at him, just grunt, took his change and passed in a bowl. The broth was rich. It warmed his bones and settled some of his rattling nerves. He felt oddly watched but he had no idea if the sensation was just in his head.

No one made eye contact with him as he sat on the stool and slurped down his noodles. When he was done, he nodded to the cook and headed down the street. He still had half an hour before he needed to be back upstairs.

Every tiny crevice between buildings seemed filled. Homeless people had thrown up tarps and claimed cracks and doorways. Alleys were filled with moaning occupants and the scent of stale sweat and sex mad Rhett sneeze. It was the scent of blood that made him stop dead. Carefully, he shifted towards an ally at a casual walk. When he peered down it, his stomach clenched.

Two figures were slumped against the wall of a sushi restaurant, a young woman and a taller man. Even in the blackness of the covered street, Rhett knew the man was an incubus. Rhett felt frozen in place, mouth suddenly very dry. He had always viewed public feedings with disgust and anger.

The girl gave a tiny groan, her hips rocking against the male who pinned her to the graffitied wall. Rhett's own body heated. He had to get control of himself. He forcibly dragged his eyes away from the pair, trying to ignore how he could hear the man swallowing and the girl whimpering and how Rhett really wanted to take her place. Fuck. He blamed Janos and Martel for this.

Biting his tongue until he tasted blood, he swung away down the ally. He kept his eyes down because he didn't trust that his control was good enough for the gold to have faded from his irises.

"Are you leaving?" A voice of warm velvet made Rhett halt mid step. His hands shook slightly at the sight as another incubus came down the alley towards him.

"Would you like to join us?" he asked.

"No thank you," Rhett said coldly. As the man got closer, Rhett got a better look at the man. Oddly, despite how pretty the demon's elvish feature were, the desire Rhett felt did not increase. It was not this man that his body had wanted.

"I promise you'll enjoy it," the man purred. The girl pinned to the wall was starting to moan louder. Rhett swallowed hard as his eyes drew back to the pair. The incubus had one hand buried in the girl's hair and the other between her legs, her skirt pushed up to her midriff. She was whimpering constantly now, her thighs shaking in what Rhett could scent was a strong climax. The incubus continued to drink, even as her voice softened and her body stopped twitching. Slightly sickened, Rhett started to walk faster. A steel grip snatched his arm.

"Oh my, that is a pretty accessory. Belong to someone already do you love?" the man purred, fingers reaching out touch the collar. Throwing caution to the wind, Rhett whirled around and brought his knee up. It connected hard and the man howled, letting go of his arm, Rhett shoved back and sprinted back out into the main street.

He immediately dropped into a walk, hoping to blend into the churning crowd of pedestrians. It must have worked because despite hearing several initial shouts, no one followed Rhett as he cut a weaving path back to the motel. Only when he was sure there was no one following him, did he slip back inside with only a few minutes to spare.

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END

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